Fearless
by Alwayshappytohelp
Summary: Koa Wynn, lost in a time far before her own by bonds she does not remember. What stands in the future for this strange girl?
1. Dream

**I have looked over this story and am giving it a serious over haul. That means fixing typos, re-wording, and other such edits. I am doing this to regain some of my lost interest on it so that, maybe, I can finish it. If you have already read this chapter and don't care about the edits then go ahead and skip it. I will try to edit every chapter I have already posted and maybe get out a new chapter or two in the next few days, hopefully.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

I stood there in the middle of a field. A cornfield in the past but now nothing grew here. No one had tended to this field in near three years. Not since the elderly man that had owned the five acre, lot had passed away from the stress of his ninety-seven years. His daughter had placed the land up for sale shortly after her father's funeral. It had not yet sold.

So there I stood in the middle of the abandoned cornfield, overgrown with weeds and a bright red 'For Sale' sign by the road. Standing there staring, staring at a 'For Sale' sign at the edge of the road, not the one for the old field but the one for the house across the road. It was my childhood home. My father had placed the sign some weeks ago yet there was still no offer. My father was upset; I was not. All of my memories were in that house; I did not want to leave. My mother and my brother would never have let him sell the land; but they were gone now. That was his reason, my father's, the memories were too great for him the pain still too fresh. That was why he was selling our home.

A strong breeze kicked up from the south and blew my straight, waist length hair into my face. I let out a ragged sigh as I began to comb the mostly dark tresses from my gray eyes. My hair was that of my mothers. The long locks that donned my crown were the color of ebony, save a single lock, just behind my left ear that shone with the brightest ivory, which rivaled that of a white dwarf star. I was told that the lock had lost its ebony color when I was a small infant; after a fitful night's sleep. My parents were worried; however, the doctors were not. They said that it was rare occurrence. It happened when people become extremely frightened. The fear would cause loss of pigment in parts of the hair or eyes or even their skin. The problem with that explanation was my utter lack of fear. I had long proved to my parents that I feared nothing. This included the most commonly feared thing for the human race; falling. I had a total lack of this basic human instinct. Proving so on several occasions; among which was an incident where I fallen from our barn roof and broke my left arm quiet badly. I began to remember all the times that I had shown my lack of fear, those memories made me subconsciously grasp the white hair that I kept separate from the rest by wrapping it with a ribbon.

The southern breeze swept past me again, blowing my hair into my face again, and pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced to the sky, the sun was beginning to sink behind the western ridge of the valley, and it would be dark soon. I pulled my hair back again as I stared home. My father would be returning home soon and I had to make dinner. As I passed the 'For Sale' sign in the front yard the thought of tearing it out of the ground and flinging it miles away came to me. I knew it would do no good. I made my way up the drive to the house instead. Halfway up a ruckus in the barn caught my attention. I shook my head; it was probably just Rascal messing with Bay. She had most likely chased a mouse into Bay's stall and upset him. I smiled at the thought of my calico barn cat scaring my noble white steed with a rodent as I moved toward the barn.

Entering the building, I could see Bay tossing his head back and forth and nickering as if he were agitated. Rascal sat in front of the stall, her kill under her front paw. She was staring towards the back of the barn as if there was someone there. Suddenly I felt a strange feeling come over me. I felt confused, and sad. My heart began to race and I began to shake and sweat. A knot formed in my stomach and my head began to spin. It felt like I was never going to see my father or my home, Bay or Rascal, or anything I knew ever again. I wanted to vomit, to purge my body of the knot that had been building in my guts but I could not. I was burning hot; it was as if I was on fire. My heart raced and my eyes swelled with tears. I wanted to die, to feel it end. I collapsed to the floor I tried to scream but no sound came from my mouth. My head hit the dirt floor and everything went black. Somewhere deep inside me I felt something snapped. Had my wish come true? Had I died? _I am sorry father._

Something cool touched my forehead. _An angel?_I could hear humming near me. _Am I in heaven?_The coolness left my forehead and I groaned.

"Are you waking, young miss?" A voice came. It was gentle and soft. It was a girl's voice; she was young, sixteen to eighteen. I squeezed my eyes closed; it was bright... where ever I was. Slowly I forced my eyes open, the light burned my eyes like molten rock but they adjusted quickly. I blinked a few times trying to focus on the person who had spoken to me. I was lying on a bed in a room that looked to be made of stone. The girl was sitting next to the bed; her hair was pulled up in two buns, one on each side of her head. Like that, girl from that video game, my brother used to play. I could not think of it at that moment, and trying to made my head feel like it was going to explode. I cringed from the pain and the girl frowned. She placed a cool cloth on my forehead. She then stood, giving me a small bow she smiled brightly. It almost made me want to knock out her teeth to rid my eyes of the glow they gave off, but my thought was lost when she spoke again.

"I will be back soon. My lord told me to go get him when you awoke," she bowed again and left the room. I laid there trying to think of what happened and where I was. Nothing was coming to me, I had no idea; I had no memory. Once again, my head felt like it was going to explode so I decided it might be better if I just relax for the time being.

From the other side of the door I could hear the girl's voice and another that sounded like a man. His voice made him sound strong, maybe tall, young yet older than the girl, in his twenty's, most likely.

"You say she seemed to be having a nightmare? Is she alright now?" He almost sounded concerned for me. It was weird, I had never had anyone but my family concerned for me and this man sounded nothing like my father, my brother was gone and I had no other family. I heard the door shift and open. A gasp escaped my lips from the sight my eyes now were set upon.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	2. Surprises and Meetings

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

The man stared at me. His brows creased and brown eyes scanning me as if I were a meal prepared wrong. He sighed before turning to face the girl. I could see his lips moving to tell her something but I could not hear the words at all. I paled; _did I just lose my hearing?_ The girl bowed to him and vanished from sight. I stared at him, noticing little things here and there... weird things. Like how he was dressed. He wore armor as if he had come straight from a battlefield. His hair was coal black and long, pulled back in a ponytail, set low on the back of his head. He wore a circlet, as a princess would. I had to stifle a giggle for a moment; afraid it would insult him. At that, he raised a brow. Slowly he began to near me. He moved as though he did not fully trust me, as if I was going to hurt him. He stopped no less than two feet from the bed and once again scanned me. It felt as though he was looking into my very soul. I held quiet unsure of what to say much less how to say it. Inside my mind, I begged any deity that might be listening to let me just melt into the bed. His stare was intense, too intense for comfort, yet just as soon as I decided I had had enough; he looked away.

"Where are you from?" It was a simple question, spoken in a soft yet clearly strong voice. His accent was surprising, as was the fact that I could understand him. He spoke Chinese, I had never learned the language, yet I understood him. It was my turn to furrow my brows. His look turned to confusion.

"Do you not remember?" He took another step closer to me. My eyes returned to him and he stopped. It was almost like a game between him and I. I would look away, he would move a few inches closer, I look back he would stop. A smile came to my face and his brows furrowed again. He let a frustrated sigh and sat on a stool next to the bed. I assume that the girl had been on it before he took it. He stared at the floor for a few minutes, quietly, silently really. Finally, he looked up at me and leaned back.

"Do you remember your name?" His voice was softer this time, as if he was speaking to a child. I rolled my eyes at him and his brows went up in shock at my gesture.

I giggled at him now. I could not help it. I decided that I should try to speak to him. My own voice was shaky and felt like I had a desert in my throat. "My name is Koa Wynn," The words came in Chinese, as if I had spoken the language my entire life.

The man nodded, his did not move from my face. I could tell he was thinking, considering the next question he was going to ask me. He sighed again. "I am Zhao Yun." He stated before nodding at me again. He then stood, and turned for the door. Stopping just a foot away from it as it opened and the girl from before re-entered the room. She had a tray in her hands. The sent it emitted made my stomach growl.

Zhao Yun nodded to the girl, then he turned to look at me, his voice came softly again, "I will speak to my lord about what to do next. For now, you need to eat, and get some rest. I will be back in a few hours to speak to you again." With that, he left the room, leaving the other girl and me alone.

The girl gave me a warm smile as she crossed the room in a few quick steps; the tray rattling in her hands. She set it down in my lap and took the stool as he seat again. I stared at the metal; it smelled wonderful. However, it looked less than appetizing.

"It's alright, it's not poisoned. We would not do that to someone unless we knew who we were poisoning." The girl's voice showed she was indeed young, and she was very chipper as she spoke of killing people. As if, it was nothing new to her. I could not help the dumbfounded stare on my face, to this she giggled at me shaking her head, "You eat, it is better than it looks. I am going to leave you in peace. Just put the tray to the side when you are finished. I will come in and collect it in a bit." She smiled at me again, standing and skipping out the door.

I sat there and stared at the door. Shaking my head I looked back down at the tray, swallowing hard, I began. The girl was right, it was better than it looked. Once I finished it, I set the tray on the stool and laid back down. Sleep came quickly to me, a little too quickly in my opinion but I could not complain.

I awoke a few hours later to the sound of multiple voices in the room. They were quite, whispering as not to wake me. It sounded like Zhao Yun and another. I pulled the blanket down off my face. The fading orange glow through the window told me it dusk. I was correct about Zhao Yun being in the room, the other man sat on the stool next to the bed. He smiled at me, a kind smile; as if he knew, I was no harm. I sat up in the bed and Zhao Yun stepped closer to me; to stop me from sitting up I was not sure if his gesture was to make me rest or to keep me from being able to attack the other man. The other man smiled and raised a hand into the air. Zhao Yun stepped back and gave the man a small bow. The other man attentions turn back to me; the smile still on his face. My eyes moved across his head, taking in all the details of his face and hair. His hair was black, pulled up into a bun at the top of his head, being wrapped by a piece of what looked like gold. From the front, I could tell that something was hanging from the back. He cleared his throat bringing my attention back from his hair.

"I am Liu Bei, leader of the Shu army. Zhao Yun tells me your name is Koa Wynn. Is that correct?" He waited for me to nod before he continued, "You do not appear to be of our enemies ranks; so that beckons the question. Where are you from?"

I looked down, this question again. What is with these people with this question? I did not know how to answer that question. Maybe I would have a better idea if I asked one of my own. I sighed and looked back up to him, tilting my head to the side I spoke slowly, "Where am I?"

The man's smile vanished and he looked to Zhao Yun before he looked back to me and answered, "You are in the Shu capitol of Cheng Du."

I stared at him, unable to hide the shock in my eyes. The men stared back at me. I shook my head; I knew the history of the period in china when Shu was a kingdom. My brother had books on the subject he sometimes let me read. There was no way I could tell them that I was from North America. I was nearly two thousand years in the past, or appeared to be, there was no way they knew where that was. I put my hand on my forehead and rubbed it, as I was getting a headache. I needed some time to think on how I was going to try to explain where I came from. I just knew they would not believe me. Worse yet, if they did they would want me to explain how I got there; something I had no clue on. Putting a strain in my voice, feigning as if I was light headed. The men in the room moved forward, to keep me from falling off the bed. Zhao Yun 'helped' me lay back down; then moved away. The two men looked to one another and shook their heads.

Standing the other man spoke softly to me, "You rest, it would be better if you didn't try to remember when you are not ready." I nodded in response. With that, the two left. I spent most of the night trying to understand what was going on. My brain searched for answers but nothing would come to me. _What in the world is going on?_

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	3. The Start of Something New

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

Several days passed where the only company I had was the young girl. We would sit and talk most of the time. I learned a great deal from her. Her name was Li Mei, and I felt it suited her; however, she asked me to call her Mei. She was younger than I thought, fifteen, a child in my opinion. I asked her once why she was working in the house, she simply told me, for her mother. I decided it would be better not to pry further.

She asked me many questions as well. It took me a while to explain to her that my personal name was Koa, but once she understood, she called me that. She asked my age, if I were married, she was a bit surprised when I told her no. I am nineteen and she explained that most women are married off by then. She then asked me about my family, I explained to her about my mother and brother's death; leaving out key bits of information, and how it was only my father and I now. She hung her head and apologized to me for asking such a thing. I could not help but laugh at her. She did not understand why I did so, and neither could I. She then asked me about my hair, why I had a streak of white mixed with my midnight locks. I shook my head, telling her, "I do not even know why. It has always been like that." She smiled at me and nodded, understanding. She never asked me to answer the question that loomed over my being here, where I was from. For that, I was thankful.

It was nearly a week before Mei would let me go out into the garden. She feared I was not well enough yet; however, she did finally give in. She took me out to the garden of the house. We wandered around in it for a short time before I took to sneezing, allergies to some of the flowers, and Mei ushered me back inside. She also explained to me that the house belonged to Zhao Yun and his absents was explained away with one word; War. I cringed at that word; I had always been one to avoid conflict but apparently, this was not the time where said beliefs were shared by many.

A few weeks later, Zhao Yun returned. He waited an entire day before he spoke to me. Mei and I were in the garden. I was desperately trying to explain my allergy to her. However, she continued to scold me; swearing that she would never let me out here again if the flowers were my problem; I could not help laughing. He walked up behind me; I could not see him and Mei was too preoccupied with yelling at me to notice. He must have stood there for a few minutes listening to the two of us go back and forth with this argument, because he began to laugh. This caught both of our attentions and we turned to face him. There he stood, tall and proud, my heart skipped a beat but I shook it away; this was not the time. He was not in his armor this time, but in normal clothes. He turned to Mei and asked her to leave us; she bowed to both of us and scurried off to the house. Zhao Yun then looked to me. He was thinking I could tell by the look in his eyes. He gave me a smile and waved his hand to the pond that sat in the middle of the garden, a bridge went over it, and it was quite a serene place. I nodded and started over to it; he followed. We went to the middle of the bridge and he stopped. Turning he leaned over one of the rails and stared in to the water.

"Have you tried to remember where you are from?" He did not look at me when he spoke, just stared at the water. I turned away, looking to the sky. I let out a sigh and turned back to face him. He was staring at me, something in his eyes was different, but he looked back to the water before I had a chance to think about it. "I will take that as a 'no'," He spoke before I could. I turned away from him; my mind went to the question and trying to figure out how to answer. I heard him shift behind me. I turned enough so that I could see him from the corner of my eye; I could tell he did not notice. He was staring at me; the look in his eyes told me he was considering something. I turned to face him and he looked away again. I started to laugh and his eyes darted back to me. The confusion clear on his face; this only made me laugh harder. I stepped over to lean on the rail to hold myself up. His look became more and more confused, I could only respond by laughing harder and leaning more on the rail.

My fun, however, was soon cut short. The rail gave an angry creak and then a loud snap and I was sent plummeting into the pond with a splash. I surfaced quickly, not quickly enough for Zhao Yun. As my head came out of the water, he came in. Nearly landed on top of me, he missed my head by a few centimeters. A moment later he surface, face to face with me. I felt him grab hold of my waist and begin to pull me to the shore. Once on dry land he looked me over; searching for an injury I may have obtained in the fall. Satisfied I was not hurt; he looked back to my face. Surprise filled his eyes. Although I was now wet and growing cold, I was unharmed and my face showed only my amusement at his fussing.

He blinked a few times before he opened his mouth, closing it, and opening it again. I laughed as his loss of words. His brow furrowed and he shook his head, as he took a few steps away from me. Again, he looked at me and again he looked away, this went on for a few moments. I again could do no more than laugh and shake my head. Finally, he looked at me, confusion in his eyes, his brows furrowed, and his voice now working quiet well indeed.

"Are you able to swim? Do you have no fear of the water?" His voice was sharp, gone was its usual softness. My laughing stopped and I looked to the grass.

"I have been able to swim for most of my life, and I fear nothing." I was quiet afterwards; I had given that answer, 'I fear nothing' so many times in my life it was impossible to count now the odd stares or the unbelieving scoffs. Zhao Yun did neither; his face took on a soft look. He simply looked at me, almost as if he respected me more now that I had said that.

A smile began to show on his face, "I see, that is quite remarkable indeed," he paused to give a small laugh, "However, seeing as we are both soaking wet, I suggest we go inside and find dry clothes." He held out his hand for mine, I gave it to him and we started for the house.

Inside Mei cornered me and once again began to scold me. This time for falling in the water and went on to tell me how it could make me sick again. She then pulled me to my room, all the while threatening not to let me out of it anymore; I knew she was making empty threats so I only found it funny. She gave me something to dry off with and left my room for hers. I had been borrowing her clothes while I was here and she had gone to get me something else to wear. She took longer than usual but she returned. In her arms was a very lovely dress; it look quite expensive. She handed it to me, a smile on her face told me she knew something I did not.

I held the dress up to look at it. It was amazing; it was a soft green. It had gold thread that ran along the edges and came in on the skirt to shape and shade the symbol of an eastern dragon on the right side; the head lying right around the hip. On the left side, it had a slit that came up to about the knee. The top of it would button clear up to my jaw yet it was sleeveless.

I began to shake my head and hand it back to her, "Mei, no, I could not possibly wear this. It is far too grand, I do not want to destroy your best dress, and I would never be able to forgive myself,"

She laughed, stepped back, and shook her head, "It is not mine; Lord Zhao Yun gave it to me to give to you. He said he had gotten it for you for tonight. Lord Liu Bei is holding a celebration tonight. For the soldiers that returned from the last battle. Lord Zhao Yun wishes you to accompany him, wearing that."

I stared at her in disbelief, and then sighed. She beamed a smile and turned so that I could change. The dress fit me perfectly as if I had bought it myself. I giggled at the thought of big manly Zhao Yun picking it out; made me wonder how he did it. Once it was on I cleared my throat to let Mei know it was all right to turn around, when she did she gasped in surprise but quickly shook it away. She handed me a pair of slippers that went with the dress; they mimicked the green and gold colors and sat me on the stool to do my hair. She pulled my long locks into a very intricate up do, leaving my white lock down and braiding it. When she finished I stood and turned to face her. She painted my eyes and lips with something like make-up; it smelled terrible but looked nice. When she finished that, she looked me over, giving me a smile and a nod. Stopping for a moment she tapped her chin, suddenly she was up and running, telling me to wait there for just a moment and she would be right back. A minute or two later she returned with a soft green, long piece of silk that she draped around one of my elbows, behind my back, and around the other elbow. The ends of it hung nearly to my knees. Stepping back, she looked me over and nodded in approval. Waving her hand to the door, she led me out in to the hall, heading for the main room.

Zhao Yun stood in the middle of the room, his back to me at first. I could tell he was dressed in a very formal outfit, in the same green and gold as the dress I wore. Mei giggled, catching his attention and he turned around. When his eyes hit me I looked to the floor, I could hear him gasp in amazement. Slowly I looked up and he had a blush on his face. He bowed to me and held out his hand to me, I crossed the room and gave him my hand.

"You look wonderful," His voice was like an airy whisper and I blushed.

Looking to the floor and spoke softly, "Thank you. You did a great job picking the dress."

He nodded and we headed out, taking a carriage to Liu Bei's home.

I could feel something building up inside me. It reminded me of the felling I had had in my dream weeks earlier. I looked to Zhao Yun and he gave me a comforting smile, it did not help. I knew something was going to happen tonight. _Something bad..._

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	4. Party Surprises

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

The carriage pulled in front of Liu Bei's house as the sun began to sink behind the tree line. Once again, Zhao Yun gave me a smile. One to tell me all would be fine. Yet still I could not shake the feeling that not all was well. Zhao Yun stepped out of the carriage first, reaching for my hand once he was on the ground. I gave him my hand and stepped to the ground. Standing straight, I returned the smile as we headed into the party. Zhao Yun led me toward a group of people, only one I recognized. Lord Liu Bei himself stood in a circle of people, several men, and two women. Looking up, Liu Bei smiled and waved Zhao Yun and I over. Once we stood with the group I looked at the others standing there. They were all dressed in grand clothes, same as Zhao Yun and I. The men all wore variations of green while only one of the women did so. The other donned a finely made dress of red. She turned to me first, giving me a bright smile and a small bow. Liu Bei gave a quiet laugh at the woman before he turned to me, gesturing to the red adorned woman he spoke; "this is my wife, Sun Shang Xiang." He then gestured toward the others of the circle, "These are some of my generals, my strategist, Lord Zhuge Liang, and his wife, Lady Yue Ying. These are my sworn brothers, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. The others are here, Ma Chao, Guan Ping, Huang Zhong, as well as most of the rest of the militia."

I gave a smile to each of the men as Lord Liu Bei introduced them to me. Quickly after the introductions, I was grabbed by Sun Shang Xiang and another young woman I learned later was Xing Cai, Zhang Fei's daughter. They pulled me off to the side of the room where Yue Ying and many of the other wives were.

Sun Shang Xiang was grinning from ear to ear as was Xing Cai, however the two of them just stood theses smiling and giggling at me. I raised a brow to them. After a few minutes, they glanced at each other then back at me. I grew more concerned by the second.

"Is it true?" Xing Cai finally shouted at me. I replied with a yet more confused look to which she seemed to be confused as well.

Sun Shang Xiang placed her hand on Xing Cai's shoulder, letting her know that she was going to take it from there. She turned her attention to me, placing a warm smile on her face, much like her husband's smile, her voice was soft but had a small hint of the excitement she was trying to hide, "What Xing Cai means is we heard the rumor that Lord Zhao Yun has requested that you become his bride. We would like to know if this rumor has truth to it."

I stood there, my jaw hanging open and my eyes wide. A tap on my shoulder caused me to spin around, coming face to face with none other than Zhao Yun himself. I quickly ran a body check, closing my mouth, returning my eyes to a normal size and making sure my hands were at my sides, because at that moment, I wanted to crack him upside his head, but I knew better.

He had a small smile on his face, one that told me he was sorry that I had learned what I had the way I had. His head hung slightly, as he gave me his version of puppy eyes, and in a quiet whisper he said, "I believe you and I should go have a word together."

I gave small growl as response whilst starting for the nearest door in an angry silent walk. As I passed a few of the military men, they gave me a puzzled look. Then they would looked over to Zhao Yun and released a chuckle, I wanted to strangle the lot.

I swept passed the men and out the door. It led out to a large garden. I moved half way across the flat area, spun around, crossed my arms, and leveled my gaze at the man behind me, whom I was giving the evil eye. He stopped a few feet from me his gaze dropped to the ground as one hand went up to scratch the back of his head. He took a deep breath and released it slowly as he dropped his hand to his side and returned his gaze to meet mine.

"I am sorry; Lady Sun Shang Xiang must have over heard when I discussed the idea with Lord Liu Bei." His voice was thick with apologetic tone, but I am not so easily appeased, and was far too mad anyway.

"Discussed what?" I snapped, "Discussed my future without one word to me? What about my father? Wouldn't he have a say?" I stopped to take a breath.

Zhao Yun cut in while he had the chance, "Lord Liu Bei and I had discussed what the sooth sayer had said about me when I was a small boy. He told my parents I would be wed to the daughter of Nu Wa, who would fall into my arms from the light of the heavens whilst I stood on the field of battle," he paused. It was as if he was unsure on how to continue. He shifted his footing, crossed his arms, and lowered his head, returning my level gaze, "That which you did, that is who is we believe you may be. That is what we were discussing." He gave me an affirmative nod when he finished his sentence. Placing his hands on his hips, he gave me the look of 'What are you going to do now?'

I promptly rolled my eyes, crossing my arms I gave a huff. I stood there a moment as my anger vanished. Finally I sighed, looking at him; I softened my voice, "Is that how I ended up here, I fell from some light?"

He nodded in response. I turned around and closed my eyes; I still could not remember anything between the day in the barn and awakening in Zhao Yun's home with Mei by my side. I turned my back to him and shook my head, trying to remember what I could yet nothing would come to me.

I heard Zhao Yun shift his footing behind me, with a sigh I decided to push back my thoughts for another time and deal with the situation at hand. Turning back, I face the man that stood with me in that garden. His eyes told me he was waiting to know if I was all right or if he needed to explain himself further. I gave him a smile before I spoke, "What else was said about me, between you and Liu Bei?"

He hung his head and sighed, "My Lord and I did discuss a marriage between you and me. However due to our lack of knowledge of you we have decided that we would not rush into anything concerning you. Waiting and observing seemed to be the best option in this case."

I nodded and shifted my weight to one leg; my arms came up and crossed over my chest. I looked to the ground to my left. A sound behind me caught both of our attentions. Something or someone was moving about in the trees behind us. I looked to Zhao Yun, his eyes darting around behind me as he motioned with his hand for me to come close to him. I moved swiftly to his side and he gently pushed me behind him and began to step backward, toward the doors that led back to the party.

Oddly, I began to hear a voice, a woman, whispering to me. It seemed as though the man who guarded me from what creped in the night before us did not hear the sound at all. At first, I could not make out what the voice was saying but I kept listening, and moving. Suddenly, sharply the voice came, slightly distorted and frantic, one word clearly spoken, "Stop!" I did as it is said; as I did, I felt the wind made from the downward thrust of a pole staff behind me.

Turning sharply, Zhao Yun placed himself between the attacker and me, as he kicked the mad hard in the chest causing him to drop to the ground and cough. Zhao Yun then raised his voice, calling to the partygoers inside the home from which we had come, "Intruders! We are under attack!"

Shortly there were the sounds of rustling inside the building, then the doors flung open and with spears, swords, and pikes in hands the party guest transformed before from upscale socialites to war torn, battle-hardened soldiers before my very eyes. Zhang Fei let out a battle cry as he thrust his ornate pike in to one of the many, purple clad men that seemed to pour from the walls around us. A flash of silver caught my eye as Zhao Yun reach out to grasp on the spear that Liu Bei had tossed to him whilst the Lord himself swung his blades in great grace, felling many of the intruders. I stared in awe as I watched the garden battlefield before me. I noticed even Lady Sun Shang Xiang and the other woman fighting fiercely with their chosen weapons.

It seemed a loss to me, for every attacker felled, five more seemed to top the walls and enter the chaos. Yet the warriors did not give an inch of gained ground. I still hid behind Zhao Yun as he fought, he did not move around, to guard me better he fought in place, soon others moved to us. Ma Chao took my left, Xing Cai, my right, and Guan Ping took to guarding behind me, as the whispered voice came to me again. For the second time I could not make out what it said at first, but it became clearer and clearer with each passing second.

At last, I heard its message, "It is you. You are the one they are there for; you must not let them take you." I looked to Xing Cai, wondering if she had been the one talking to me, her eyes were like a hawks as they darted around the area as she cut and slashed at any enemy that neared us. As I stared at the woman of arms on right, I felt a sharp pain on my left. Ma Chao had been lured away and one of the purple clad men had taken advantage of the opening and struck me hard in the ribs with the blunt end of his spear. I gasped for air but the pain would not allow it. The sound of my body hitting the grass drew the attentions of my guards. Zhao Yun was the first to react; his spear was a mere flash as it tore at assailant, who masterfully dodged the blade. I looked up to the two as they fought; the other man was not dressed as most of the others who were climbing the walls. He donned a mid-drift baring outfit with frills and feathers. He wore high-heeled boots, colored gold and his hair was pulled up in a very effeminate way. His moves were fast and graceful as he fought. Neither he nor Zhao Yun could gain the upper hand in the spar. They were too evenly matched.

Behind me, I heard Xing Cai gasp and Guan Ping grunt in effort. My eyes shot around to see Xing Cai on the ground and Guan Ping deadlocked with a much bigger man with two war axes. My vision began to fade as I tried to breath but the pain still denied me. I heard the scraping of metal against metal and Guan Ping yell in pain before I heard his body hit the grass as well. I felt someone picking me up as Zhao Yun's voice reached my ears; he called to his allies to help me. The last thing I saw was the man that had been fighting with Guan Ping as he positioned me in his arms and fled the garden; I slipped in to total dark before we topped the wall.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	5. Plotting

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

The carriage pulled in front of Liu Bei's house as the sun began to sink behind the tree line. Once again, Zhao Yun gave me a smile. One to tell me all would be fine. Yet still I could not shake the feeling that not all was well. Zhao Yun stepped out of the carriage first, reaching for my hand once he was on the ground. I gave him my hand and stepped to the ground. Standing straight, I returned the smile as we headed into the party. Zhao Yun led me toward a group of people, only one I recognized. Lord Liu Bei himself stood in a circle of people, several men, and two women. Looking up, Liu Bei smiled and waved Zhao Yun and I over. Once we stood with the group I looked at the others standing there. They were all dressed in grand clothes, same as Zhao Yun and I. The men all wore variations of green while only one of the women did so. The other donned a finely made dress of red. She turned to me first, giving me a bright smile and a small bow. Liu Bei gave a quiet laugh at the woman before he turned to me, gesturing to the red adorned woman he spoke; "this is my wife, Sun Shang Xiang." He then gestured toward the others of the circle, "These are some of my generals, my strategist, Lord Zhuge Liang, and his wife, Lady Yue Ying. These are my sworn brothers, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. The others are here, Ma Chao, Guan Ping, Huang Zhong, as well as most of the rest of the militia."

I gave a smile to each of the men as Lord Liu Bei introduced them to me. Quickly after the introductions, I was grabbed by Sun Shang Xiang and another young woman I learned later was Xing Cai, Zhang Fei's daughter. They pulled me off to the side of the room where Yue Ying and many of the other wives were.

Sun Shang Xiang was grinning from ear to ear as was Xing Cai, however the two of them just stood theses smiling and giggling at me. I raised a brow to them. After a few minutes, they glanced at each other then back at me. I grew more concerned by the second.

"Is it true?" Xing Cai finally shouted at me. I replied with a yet more confused look to which she seemed to be confused as well.

Sun Shang Xiang placed her hand on Xing Cai's shoulder, letting her know that she was going to take it from there. She turned her attention to me, placing a warm smile on her face, much like her husband's smile, her voice was soft but had a small hint of the excitement she was trying to hide, "What Xing Cai means is we heard the rumor that Lord Zhao Yun has requested that you become his bride. We would like to know if this rumor has truth to it."

I stood there, my jaw hanging open and my eyes wide. A tap on my shoulder caused me to spin around, coming face to face with none other than Zhao Yun himself. I quickly ran a body check, closing my mouth, returning my eyes to a normal size and making sure my hands were at my sides, because at that moment, I wanted to crack him upside his head, but I knew better.

He had a small smile on his face, one that told me he was sorry that I had learned what I had the way I had. His head hung slightly, as he gave me his version of puppy eyes, and in a quiet whisper he said, "I believe you and I should go have a word together."

I gave small growl as response whilst starting for the nearest door in an angry silent walk. As I passed a few of the military men, they gave me a puzzled look. Then they would looked over to Zhao Yun and released a chuckle, I wanted to strangle the lot.

I swept passed the men and out the door. It led out to a large garden. I moved half way across the flat area, spun around, crossed my arms, and leveled my gaze at the man behind me, whom I was giving the evil eye. He stopped a few feet from me his gaze dropped to the ground as one hand went up to scratch the back of his head. He took a deep breath and released it slowly as he dropped his hand to his side and returned his gaze to meet mine.

"I am sorry; Lady Sun Shang Xiang must have over heard when I discussed the idea with Lord Liu Bei." His voice was thick with apologetic tone, but I am not so easily appeased, and was far too mad anyway.

"Discussed what?" I snapped, "Discussed my future without one word to me? What about my father? Wouldn't he have a say?" I stopped to take a breath.

Zhao Yun cut in while he had the chance, "Lord Liu Bei and I had discussed what the sooth sayer had said about me when I was a small boy. He told my parents I would be wed to the daughter of Nu Wa, who would fall into my arms from the light of the heavens whilst I stood on the field of battle," he paused. It was as if he was unsure on how to continue. He shifted his footing, crossed his arms, and lowered his head, returning my level gaze, "That which you did, that is who is we believe you may be. That is what we were discussing." He gave me an affirmative nod when he finished his sentence. Placing his hands on his hips, he gave me the look of 'What are you going to do now?'

I promptly rolled my eyes, crossing my arms I gave a huff. I stood there a moment as my anger vanished. Finally I sighed, looking at him; I softened my voice, "Is that how I ended up here, I fell from some light?"

He nodded in response. I turned around and closed my eyes; I still could not remember anything between the day in the barn and awakening in Zhao Yun's home with Mei by my side. I turned my back to him and shook my head, trying to remember what I could yet nothing would come to me.

I heard Zhao Yun shift his footing behind me, with a sigh I decided to push back my thoughts for another time and deal with the situation at hand. Turning back, I face the man that stood with me in that garden. His eyes told me he was waiting to know if I was all right or if he needed to explain himself further. I gave him a smile before I spoke, "What else was said about me, between you and Liu Bei?"

He hung his head and sighed, "My Lord and I did discuss a marriage between you and me. However due to our lack of knowledge of you we have decided that we would not rush into anything concerning you. Waiting and observing seemed to be the best option in this case."

I nodded and shifted my weight to one leg; my arms came up and crossed over my chest. I looked to the ground to my left. A sound behind me caught both of our attentions. Something or someone was moving about in the trees behind us. I looked to Zhao Yun, his eyes darting around behind me as he motioned with his hand for me to come close to him. I moved swiftly to his side and he gently pushed me behind him and began to step backward, toward the doors that led back to the party.

Oddly, I began to hear a voice, a woman, whispering to me. It seemed as though the man who guarded me from what creped in the night before us did not hear the sound at all. At first, I could not make out what the voice was saying but I kept listening, and moving. Suddenly, sharply the voice came, slightly distorted and frantic, one word clearly spoken, "Stop!" I did as it is said; as I did, I felt the wind made from the downward thrust of a pole staff behind me.

Turning sharply, Zhao Yun placed himself between the attacker and me, as he kicked the mad hard in the chest causing him to drop to the ground and cough. Zhao Yun then raised his voice, calling to the partygoers inside the home from which we had come, "Intruders! We are under attack!"

Shortly there were the sounds of rustling inside the building, then the doors flung open and with spears, swords, and pikes in hands the party guest transformed before from upscale socialites to war torn, battle-hardened soldiers before my very eyes. Zhang Fei let out a battle cry as he thrust his ornate pike in to one of the many, purple clad men that seemed to pour from the walls around us. A flash of silver caught my eye as Zhao Yun reach out to grasp on the spear that Liu Bei had tossed to him whilst the Lord himself swung his blades in great grace, felling many of the intruders. I stared in awe as I watched the garden battlefield before me. I noticed even Lady Sun Shang Xiang and the other woman fighting fiercely with their chosen weapons.

It seemed a loss to me, for every attacker felled, five more seemed to top the walls and enter the chaos. Yet the warriors did not give an inch of gained ground. I still hid behind Zhao Yun as he fought, he did not move around, to guard me better he fought in place, soon others moved to us. Ma Chao took my left, Xing Cai, my right, and Guan Ping took to guarding behind me, as the whispered voice came to me again. For the second time I could not make out what it said at first, but it became clearer and clearer with each passing second.

At last, I heard its message, "It is you. You are the one they are there for; you must not let them take you." I looked to Xing Cai, wondering if she had been the one talking to me, her eyes were like a hawks as they darted around the area as she cut and slashed at any enemy that neared us. As I stared at the woman of arms on right, I felt a sharp pain on my left. Ma Chao had been lured away and one of the purple clad men had taken advantage of the opening and struck me hard in the ribs with the blunt end of his spear. I gasped for air but the pain would not allow it. The sound of my body hitting the grass drew the attentions of my guards. Zhao Yun was the first to react; his spear was a mere flash as it tore at assailant, who masterfully dodged the blade. I looked up to the two as they fought; the other man was not dressed as most of the others who were climbing the walls. He donned a mid-drift baring outfit with frills and feathers. He wore high-heeled boots, colored gold and his hair was pulled up in a very effeminate way. His moves were fast and graceful as he fought. Neither he nor Zhao Yun could gain the upper hand in the spar. They were too evenly matched.

Behind me, I heard Xing Cai gasp and Guan Ping grunt in effort. My eyes shot around to see Xing Cai on the ground and Guan Ping deadlocked with a much bigger man with two war axes. My vision began to fade as I tried to breath but the pain still denied me. I heard the scraping of metal against metal and Guan Ping yell in pain before I heard his body hit the grass as well. I felt someone picking me up as Zhao Yun's voice reached my ears; he called to his allies to help me. The last thing I saw was the man that had been fighting with Guan Ping as he positioned me in his arms and fled the garden; I slipped in to total dark before we topped the wall.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	6. Well Here Goes Nothing

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

From across the room I watched as some of the soldiers moved to a table that had been set up. On one end there were stacks of small bowl like dishes, in the middle was a man delving out water from a bucket to the men that picked up the bowls. The men would drink their water and placed the bowls back on the other side of the bucket.

I slowly moved some of the rice around in my mouth as I watched the scene. Finally, I made my move. With a mental sigh, I clumped the rice in my mouth into a stiff ball and gave it a hard swallow. Instantly I gagged and began to cough. Each racking hack sent fire from my side but it got the point across. Zhang He began to clap hard on my back to attempt to dislodge to food that was chocking me. Soon it went down hard and I grimaced in pain. I looked up to Zhang Liao with a sheepish smile; his brows knitted together in concern. I felt Zhang He sit back down in his chair but his eyes were still on me.

With a new scratch in my voice and a phony look of innocence on my face I spoke, "Would be alright if I got a drink?" I nodded my head in the direction of the water table to clarify where I intended to go. Zhang Liao glanced over his shoulder then back to me; I noted the hesitation in his actions before he slowly nodded to me. I whispered my thanks to him and, with help from Zhang He, stood. Carefully I made my way over to the water; scanning the room for the next phase of my plan.

I could not help the grin that came to my face as I spotted a young man being tormented at the next table over for bringing his sword to dinner. Glancing down between the men, I passed; I saw the weapon, in its sheath, hanging out in the aisle. Could this be any easier? I quietly moved to the end of the water line. I watched the scene with the young swordsman and the others around him as I slowly made my way to the water my throat demanded for so harshly. My plot forming fully before my turn in line, I took my bowl and got my water. Standing to the side of the table, I sip from the dish as I waited for my moment. I gulped down the last few drops as a very large man came to the end of the line. I time my moves with his. Bumping in to him, I acted flustered at my mistake and profusely apologized. I managed to get myself turned around enough to be heading back via the aisle with the swordsman.

I walked as close as I could to seated men as I could without drawing attention. As I neared, my unsuspecting victim readied myself; reaching his back, I kicked the sword and faked my fall to land perfectly on the back of the man next to him. He, in turn, flung his half-eaten meal across the table; hitting the man directly across from him square in the face. That man, so surprised by the sudden rice attack, jumped and slapped the men that sat on each side of him. Quickly the bickering began, the men blaming the other, but none of them blaming me. I stood there trying to apologize to the men, who brushed me off; telling me it was not my fault. Soon their voices began to rise and I pretended to be afraid. I held my hands in front of myself and backed away enough to bump into one of the men sitting at the table across the aisle. He turned to see what was going on and quickly stood to 'defend' me from the others. It was not long, most of the men were yelling, and punches began to fly.

I scurried back to the table I had been sitting at with Zhang He and Zhang Liao; arriving just as they were standing to go calm their men down. As the two of them moved toward the now brawling soldiers, I backed up to the open wall. I stood there watching as nearly every man in the camp, were either fighting one another running to join the fight, or vainly trying to stop it. With one final grin at the situation, I slipped out the opening and sprinted with all I had to the tree line. It was just after dark and I was on my way to the river. _Right on track…_

I do not know how long I had run before I could no longer stand the searing pain that erupted from my side. Slowing to a walk, I kept going while I tried to pull myself together. I could hear water rushing near me. I could also still hear the yelling coming from the camp behind me; the fight was still going strong. This again made me smile as I tramped through the woods toward the sound of water. A little too soon I was out of hearing distance of the camp; the river had to be very close.

A sudden, short drop and icy chill on my legs let me know that I had found the river all right. I reached down and felt the flow with my hand; turning to my right I started downstream. Moving to the bank, I tried to keep from falling into the water again.

It felt like I was walking for hours before I heard a sound other than the river, or my own footsteps. Fast pace hoof beats coming near me. Looking around I spotted a tree that looked easy to climb and shot up it as fast as I could. I made it about eight feet in the air before I found a good branch to sit on. I tried to pant silently; finally, I began to feel the extent of the pain coming from my ribs. I bit my lip to keep quiet. From my perch I saw several men on horseback come to the river edge; one of them held a torch. They were purple clad men. My distraction must have broken up and Zhang Liao must have noticed my disappearance.

The men searched near the river for a few more minutes before the turned and headed up stream. I placed my hand on my side I cringed at the jolt of pain but tried to shake it out of my mind. I had to keep going; carefully I slipped out of my leafy hiding place and moved to continue to head down stream. I let out a silent prayer that this was as far downstream as they would look for me. However, I could not help but to have my doubts it would be. I would have to be more cautious from now on. I moved at a slower pace so that I could hear my surroundings better.

I began to become over nervous, every breeze that caused the leaves rustle had me holding my breath and making for a hiding place. As I continued, I began thinking about the voice. Why was I listening to it? What if this was only a trick by Zhang Liao? Stopping mid-step I lingered on that thought. What was I doing? What happened to me? Why was I doing any of this? I should be home; with father; with Rascal, with Bay. Oh Bay; he would have made at least this bit easier.

A familiar sound came to me, fast pace hoof beasts. _Not again_. Looking around to find a place to hide I noticed a flash of light a short ways behind me. I stopped and stared at it; it was so welcoming. It was as if it was calling me to it. I moved to take a step closer when I heard the distinct sound of a whinny. My eyes widened in shock. From the light came the most beautiful sight I had in days. In all of his glory, my noble white steed came at me in full gallop.

"Bay!" I barley choked out, "Oh Bay, thank goodness." He stopped and stood tall before me. Showing off his formable size for his breed, I could not help but giggle at his posturing for me. I gently rubbed his muzzle before moving to his side. I felt sick when the realization hit me then; I could not mount him. He was a Quarter Horse but oddly tall for one. Which made him difficult to mount under normal circumstances but with my injured side, there was no way I could without some kind of step. I scanned the area and spotted a large fallen tree. I gestured to Bay to follow me as I went to trunk.

"I don't know how you got here buddy; but I sure am glad you are." He nickered in response. After a moment, I chose the best option for climbing on to the tree then I beckoned Bay closer. Obeying me perfectly he came to stand right next to me. I eased myself on to his back and took a hold of his mane. This was not the first time I had rode him bareback but this one was going to hurt. With the clicking of my tongue and the soft prod of my feet, he started into a walk heading down stream. After a few minutes, I urged him into a canter.

We moved at a good click but I could sense the dawn approaching so I pushed Bay to a trot. Each jolt made me want to scream and I felt him tense under me. The cold sickly felling that I was being trailed hit me like being slapped with a wet rag. I kept looking over my shoulder for my pursuer but I could not see one. I could no longer take the bouncing of the trot so I pulled Bay to a stop so I could rest for a moment. I could feel him ripple in nervous tension beneath me. I leaned forward to rub his neck in comfort when I heard a whistle in the air followed but the thick thump of the arrow hitting the tree behind us.

Bay needed no prompting from me at all; he blasted in to a full gallop. He moved with the true grace of his breed as he weaved in and out of the trees at full speed. I could hear the ones who pursued us; we were beginning to lose them in the grace of Bay's movements. Another thunk of an arrow hitting a tree made me remember they had long-range weapons. As we flew along the river, I noticed the trees begin to thin out. All I could do was work with Bay's movements as he moved and leapt over a log into a large clearing.

I let out a strangled grunt when Bay landed and came to a nearly instant halt. Looking up I saw two horses standing maybe ten feet in front of us. Slowly raising my glaze to their backs I want to scream when upon the one to my right sat Sun Shang Xiang. I opened my mouth to warn her of my pursuers when I heard them near the log. I turned sharply to see an entire row of archers stand from behind the log and fire at the riders.

A hand reached out and grabbed my arm; urging me forward. I did ask it demanded and gave Bay a quick prod to which he responded in a return to the full gallop before I could rein him back. Behind us, I could hear the clash of metal that had broken out. Looking to my right, I saw Sun Shang Xiang pushing her mount to keep up with Bay; to my left was the older man doing the same with his.

I almost did not hear my friend's cry for me to slow down. I roughly pulled Bay's mane to get him to slow. Once he had, I reached forward and rubbed his neck, apologizing for my harshness. Sun Shang Xiang caught up to Bay and I a moment later. She dismounted and came to Bay's side reaching out for me to take her hand. I leaned down to take her hand but I missed and could not catch myself; landing in a crumpled heap beneath my spooked and sweat drenched horse. I just wanted to lay there but Sun Shang Xiang and her male friend prompted me to get up and pulled me to a tent set up nearby.

Once we entered the dwelling, they laid me down on the mat that served as the bed. I could hear her speaking to me however; I could not make out the words she used. I could tell she was afraid by the look in her eyes. She looked as though she was near tears; moving like lightning, she stooped down and grasped me in a tight hug. I do not know if I was too tired to stop it or if I was comfortable enough to let it out, but the cry that came from me made her jump back. I felt myself apologize to her and laid my hand on my injured side.

She moved my hand and shirt to look. Her eyes grew wide horror flashing through them. I tried to sit up but she forced me back down holding her finger in my face. I could not understand her words but her face was clear she was threatening me for some reason. I was too tired to fight so I laid there as she moved of the exit. I watched her slip out of flaps through the heaviest eyelids I can ever recall having. I fought it for as long as I could but the bliss of darkness slipped over me as Sun Shang Xiang returned with another person following her.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	7. Answers or more questions?

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

As I began to come to, I felt the familiar feeling of the warmth of the unworldly light from the other day. Opening my eyes just a crack I noticed the light did not seem quite as bright as before. It was still blinding, but I could make out the hazy shape of a person standing near me. I tried to shield my eyes to see if I could get a better look. The figure moved toward me, kneeling they reached out and placed their hand on my forehead. Again, it was cool and soothing compared to the warmth of the light.

Her voice was just as sweet and ethereal as before, "Now little one, will you be alright with the help I have sent you?" I felt a smile tug at my face at her words, "I will take that as a 'yes'. Remember our agreement. Stay with your friends and try to stay safe. We still need you."

I opened my mouth, the voice that came out did not sound like my own, "What agreement? I do not remember anything like that. Please explain it to me." She giggled and moved her hand from my face, "Soon my child. All will be well and you will understand." The light and its warmth began to fade from me. "Wait please! At least tell me who you are!" I begged as I tried to sit up right.

With an excruciating jolt of pain from my left side, I opened my eyes wide. It was dark and cold. I blinked several times trying to get my vision to adjust to my surroundings. I was shielded from the world by canvass walls and ceiling again. Had Zhang Liao and his gang retaken me? Shifting on the mat, I removed the blanket that covered my body and felt the chill of the night on my skin. I reached up and found a thin shirt and pants covering my body. With a nod to myself, I began to stand. I received another intense jolt of protesting pain from my side. It caused me to pause and still. It was much worse than before.

With a growl, I shook away the pain and forced myself to my feet, gritting my teeth to keep the screams of pain with in my body. Once I was on my feet, I was hit with waves of fatigue and nausea. I stilled a moment to push the feelings away. From outside of my small dwelling I heard the whinny and nickering of Bay. It was not a dream. Moving carefully to try to keep the protests from my side to a minimum, I went to the flaps that served as my door and pushed them to the side. Poking my head out, I could see my sweet horse fighting as two people tried to tug him a bridal that had been fastened to him, to where the other horses were tied up. Glancing over to the other equines, I saw a small water trough and a pile that must have been hay for they were eating from it.

Stepping out of the tent I went to the men and my stubborn mount, "Bay, stop it. They are trying to get you some food and water." He turned his head to me. For a split second, I thought he might try to continue his fighting them. However, he simply gave a snort them walked to the others of his species. Standing there, he waited for the two, shocked, men to come and tie him to the rail like the others.

"Hey, you should not be moving around!" A man's voice came from behind me. He sounded right about the same age as Zhao Yun. A bit too excited for my comfort, I spun to see if it were he. Apparently, I had had a smile on my face as it instantly faded when I saw the speaker. To which he frowned and with a scoffing tone in his voice popped-off with, "Oh well, geez don't look so happy to see me. Someone may think something is going on between us. I know some people who would be angry about that." I gagged on my breath.

He was about the same height as Zhao Yun, maybe a little taller. His hair was pulled up high on his head and we wore shades of red and yellow. His torso was covered by a tight purplish-red, which had a lighter flower like design on the front, short-sleeved shirt. His pants matched his shirt in color and pattern. The outside of his arms were covered by stiffened leather, colored almost orange, held in place by yellow bands wrapped around his arms. Around his waist was a yellow sash like item with small metal rings hanging from it. To top of his look, he carried a very ornate pole-arm.

I raised one brow to him, "Who are you? Where am I? And why should I not be moving around?" A sting from my side that came with my breath gave me a likely answer to my last question before he replied.

"My name is Ling Tong. You are safe with the Wu search party that Lady Sun Shang Xiang begged Lord Sun Quan for to find and save you. Moreover, according to our medic, you have some broken ribs. Now go lay back down before Lady Sun comes and rips both of our heads off for you being up." He pointed to the tent I had come from with a silent urge for me to return to it.

I shook my head at him and half turned toward Bay and the other horses, "I will, just let me go reassure Bay that I am alright, ok?" Turning my back to him and started for the horses. A shrill scream coming from behind me gave me pause. Before I could turn around, I felt small hands on my right arm, spinning me around to come face to face with a pair of extremely angry green eyes. An involuntary and very auditable gulp came from me and I felt a chill run down my spine as I stared at Sun Shang Xiang. I almost felt like I did when my father would catch me doing something I was not supposed to be doing.

"And just what do you think you are doing up and moving around while you are hurt?" She snapped at me. I opened my mouth to respond but she growled to quiet me as she pushed me toward the tent. I tried to protest but she ignored me. Pushing me into the small yurt and back on to the mat, she forced me to lie down. "Now look here!" I started but she put her hand over my mouth.

"No, you look here." Her voice was sharp and relayed the anger that still shone in her eyes. "When we were attacked and you were grabbed it took nearly ten men to stop Zhao Yun from leaping over that wall and following on his own. The only way we got him to calm down was to gather several search parties to come find you. However, with campaign in the south we are short on men. Therefore, I went to my brother and begged him for help finding you. Now that we have, you are not going to go make injuries worse for no reason. It is every person in this camp sole job to keep you safe and we will not fail. Now lie down and stay here until told otherwise. I will go see about getting you some food." She stood and went to door, turning her head back to me she smiled, the anger gone from her face for the moment and a bit of the pep that she had at the party in her voice, "Oh, and there will be two guards out front here, so don't even think you can sneak out, ok?" I could only lay there and blink in shock as she slipped out of the door and barked orders at some others and she moved away from my tent.

Where was I imprisoned again, here or with Zhang Liao? I decided it would be best to obey my friend. Wait friend, more like warden. A second or two passed before I heard two men moved to the front of the entry. They seemed to be bickering, one complaining how he was a general not a baby-sitter. The other was the man I had seen before Sun Shang Xiang had caught me, he barked about how the other should shut-up and relinquish to the fact that, he may be a general but, Lady Sun was his superior and when she said jump they only asked how high. Ling Tong only got a snort in response.

I smiled at the interaction between the two. It faded as the cloth rustled and Ling Tong's face peeked in. He had a smile on his face and smart tone to his voice, "Hey, I told you to come in here and lay down before she caught you didn't I? You should listen next time." I growled at him and I heard the other man laugh. He had a cocky tone when he spoke, "Gee Tong, You really have a way with the ladies don't ya kid." Ling Tong's head disappeared from my site in a flash of fabric. The two of them argued for a few minutes, volleying insults back and forth, before a third voice came from the front of the tent, a man. He was much older than the two squabbling guards, "Hey you two give it a rest already!" From near him I could hear my self-appointed warden giggle. The two younger men each scoffed at the older one and fell silent.

The moving of the cloth door signaled the intrusion of the visitors. The man entered first, he looked like he had not slept in weeks. Wrinkles and five o'clock shadow covered his face but his brown eyes burned through, showing he still had some youth and vigor in him. His black wavy hair framed his face above his robes colored in varying shades of red similar to Ling Tong color palette. When he turned to hold the fabric door for Sun Shang Xiang to enter with hands full of a tray of food I noticed his hair was long and pulled together loosely in the back. Once the warden was in, he turned back to me and followed her over.

He sat down next to the mat, close to my head. As Lady Warden took her seat next to him and my hip he leaned over and helped me sit up. When I was up the tray was placed in my lap and Sun Shang Xiang gave me a nod, insisting I eat. Eyeing the two of them, I slowly picked up the chopsticks and a scoop of rice. As I took in my meal, the man spoke to me, "Lady Sun was right in her instincts to lead us this way. It is good to know that the woman who would nearly cause the little dragon of Shu to disobey his lord is safe. It would not bide well for our coming plans to have such a warrior distracted in battle over you." I almost choked on my food at his words. Did my kidnapping really affect Zhao Yun that much? I could not help the grin that came to me. A knowing giggle from her Lady the warden made me push it away. The man did not seem to notice as he went on, "However that will not be the case now, and for that we are all glad. I am Lu Meng, by the way, the co-commander of this platoon. We have spoken to the doctor and he has agreed that you are in no shape to travel far. However, we are near to the Wei camp so we must move before they find us whilst searching for you. I am sure they have noticed the men who have not returned already. We will pack up in the morning and work our way back to Wu territory. I hope that we will be able to make it to Jiangling without many problems. We have sent word to Lord Liu Bei that we have found you and will attempt to make it there, and that he should meet us there."

He paused for a moment, his eyes relaying his question. I nodded let him know I understood. With a sigh, he stood and moved to the door. Stopping he looked back to my warden, "Lady Sun, the two of you should not stay up too much longer. The journey a head of us will long and rough. I trust you will be helping her all the way." Sun Shang Xiang nodded and he disappeared from sight.

We sat silent as I finished my meal. Cleaning a little over half of the meal, I set the chopsticks down and looked back at my friend. I searched my mind for the most eloquent way to put my question, "So, was he really that concerned?" She full on laughed at me, well, that would be a fail. I pursed my mouth in to a frown and moved the tray from my lap. Sun Shang Xiang hopped to her feet and scooped up the discarded dishes. A cheerful smile on her face as she bent slightly and barley held a whispering tone, "You have no idea. Now go to sleep, I will be rooming with you. I'm going to go take care of these dishes and I will be back."

She was gone before I could get the thought of protesting clear in my brain. With an exasperated sigh, I laid back down. Why would he be that worried about me? It is not as if I am anything to him. Other than some strange girl, that ended up mooching off him. Sleep came upon me before I could think any more about it.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	8. A Journey Begun

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

If felt as if I had only been asleep ten seconds, when I felt Sun Shang Xiang gently shake my shoulder. I growled at her and tossed over to my side. Shooting up right from the searing pain, I remember my injury. I heard her let out a little laugh as she reach out to help me up. Quickly she helped me dress in some thicker clothes and exit the tent. She led me over by a small fire where a few others sat woofing down breakfast. It was still dark but by the light, I could see Ling Tong among the group as I sat down. A bowl was thrust into my hands and I began to eat as quickly as I could get it to go down.

Behind me, I heard people taking down and packing away the tent I had slept in. Glancing around me, I noticed that everything else had been packed away. They had let me sleep as long as possible. That was kind of them. Abruptly I was torn from my thoughts by Ling Tong and the person from the night before sniping insults at one another. I turned to the two of them. The other man was leaning over Ling Tong as he sat on a log. The man had long blond hair with brown streaks in the front. His torso was bare save for his numerous tattoos and a string of bells that rang with every move he made. He donned baggy white, black, and red pants drawn tight to his legs just below his knees by his boots. His forearms held black and red bracers tied tight with yellow ribbons.

Apparently, I stared at the two of them a little too long. They both turned their attention from each other to me. The blonde-haired person raised an eyebrow and spread a cocky grin on his face. Straitening, he swept pass Ling Tong and brushed of his warnings that I was not one to be flirted with. When he reached my side, he sat down next to me.

"Hey there, how are you?" I chuckled to myself at the semi-seductive tone in his vocals, "I heard you were pretty from the kid over there, but I didn't believe him." He jerked his thumb motioning toward Ling Tong who was shaking his head. "Now, I still think he was lying. He came nowhere near the truth. You are simply ravishing." He raised his eyebrows suggestively, emphasizing the last word. I stared at him in disbelief.

Sun Shang Xiang's voice behind me saved me from the man, "Hey Koa, can you come here for a few minutes. We are having trouble with your horse." I smiled broadly, as I went to stand. Again, I felt the stab agony from my side, which made me wince. In an instant, I had two men pulling me up, the amorous man on my left and Ling Tong on my right. When I was settled on my feet I had to retch myself from the men's grip, and repeat that I was all right several times. Finally, I was able to escape the two of them and made my way to Sun Shang Xiang and Bay.

As I neared them, I took not that there were four men, including Lu Meng, trying to hitch Bay to a cart. Bay was whinnying and fighting them with all he had without hurting them. I could tell he was getting far too upset. I knew if he reared and hurt one of them, we would both be in a lot of trouble. I increased my pace, sweeping right past Sun Shang Xiang coming to a stop next to my stallion. I raised my hands to stroke his neck. He stilled and began to calm down.

Turning to the Lu Meng I gave him the evil eye as I spoke with arsenic laced in my tone, "Before you touch him again, run it by me first. He is not harness trained and will not pull a cart." The older man was taken aback by my snap. He mumbled an apology to me as he and the others backed away as Shang Xiang came towards us.

"Isn't he one of the Wei horses? Don't they train all of their horses to pull carts?" Her second question was focused at Lu Meng. I shook my head, "No, he is my horse. I got him for my birthday when I turned fourteen." Both the girl and man stared at me with mouths gaped open. I shrugged at them; I knew how to explain his arrival, as well as I knew how to explain my own. Lu Meng shook his head and raised a hand to me. For a moment, he was quiet; standing like a statue, hand raised and eyes closed.

With a deep breath, he opened his eyes as he began to speak. "So, what should we do with him? Would he allow another to ride him?" I shrugged. I had never let anyone else ride him I did not know what he would do. I looked to the white beast then back to Lu Meng, "Why can't I ride him? Am I to walk?" Lu Meng let out a hardy laugh, "Absolutely not. You are hurt; you will ride in a cart. We can't aggravate your injury." I wanted to spit at him. "I rode him here!" I blurted out. Gee, real mature Koa.

Something flashed in Lu Meng's eyes but I was not given enough time to analyze it. A sudden jerk on my right arm and I was facing the warden again. Green eyes burning with fury as they bore in to my soul and she growled at me, "You will ride in a cart. I will ride your horse." My only response was to nod my head. Lu Meng called to another man and he disappeared, returning shortly with another white horse. He and Lu Meng went about removing the riding tack from the other horse and placing it on Bay. He fought at first, not used to the style of the saddle. I kept petting his forehead and muzzle to keep him calm.

When they had finished I put my forehead to Bay's and whispered to him to be good. He nickered, bobbing his head; I took it as his agreement to do as told. Stepping away from him, I noticed that Shang Xiang's horse was hitched to the cart that they were trying to hitch Bay. Shrugging I went over to the cart. Someone grabbed me from behind and lifted me in to the seat without warning. Once I was seated, I turned to glare at the person only to be met with the face of the man from around the fire. He gave me wink and motioned for me to scoot over. I did so, only stopping when I bumped into another body. I turned to look at the other person as the first leapt in to the seat on the other side of me. It was Ling Tong; with a smile to me, he picked up the reigns. He gave a click to the horses and a gentle tap with the reigns and we jerked into motion.

We moved onto a path worn in threw the forest and the rest of the camp got into a line, some walking, others on horses and only one other cart with three riders. Lu Meng and Sun Shang Xiang took the lead of the caravan. For about an hour or so, the three of us on my cart rode in silence. As the sun began to rise in the morning sky, the blonde-haired man seemed to come more alive than earlier. He began to pick at Ling Tong, commenting on his driving, his clothes, even his beauty mark under his right eye. The other man volleyed back with every insult. I was content sitting there listening to the two of them until I was pulled in to argument with a question by the tattooed man.

"Come on, don't you think that thing on his face make him look like a girl who painted it on?" I laughed at him. Craning my head to face him I cocked a brow before using what I could for a taunting voice, "Well you are the one who sounds like a marching wind chime. Why do you wear something as stupid as a string of bells? Don't they annoy even you?" Ling Tong nearly fell from the cart in laughter and the other man nearly did so in shock. He came back, with a growl and glare. He put his face right in mine and with a snarl, he spoke, "Well I wouldn't be Gan Ning of the Bells if I didn't wear them. When I was a pirate, my enemies would run in terror at the mere sound of my bells." A nod and a smug plastered on his face he turned and resumed watching the horse riders that led us.

I thought for a second before grinning and almost singing my response, "Well, I wouldn't run in terror from the sound of your bells, Mr. Gan Ning. Your breath however, that could send me sprinting for the hills." His mouth fell open and Ling Tong began stomping on the footrest of the cart as he guffawed. "Plus, Ling Tong here had enough manners to introduce himself when we first met. I had to insult you to get your name. You sir have the manners of a pig." Now I could see a vain in Gan Ning's forehead beginning to protrude as he ground his teeth while Ling Tong was gasping for air.

Gan Ning opened his mouth and I shot him a look that just screamed 'bring it on'. He shut it and again faced forward, yelling at Ling Tong to shut the hell up. The brown-haired man laughed for a few more minutes before chuckling to a stop, but every so often, he would snicker for a second. Other than that and the grumble that always seemed to follow it, we rode in silence again.

I must have nodded off, for I was jerked awake by a sudden bump of the wagon. Sit up straight I stretched a little and looked around. We were now in an extremely mountainous area. I looked at Ling Tong and he smiled and gave me a half shrug. I then turned and looked at Gan Ning. He had the look of deep concentration on his face. I went to return facing forward when I spotted his eyes flash over in my direction. He pushed himself from his slouch to where he sat straight up and cleared his throat, "So uh…" He started before glancing down for a moment when his eyes returned to my face I had tipped my head slightly to the side and watched as his face grew a broad smile.

Reaching out to me, he grasped my white lock of hair still in the braid Mei had done, but now was frayed from the trials of the last few days. His eyes went to it before returning to my own, "What happened here?" I stared at him for a few seconds before I reached out and took my hair from him. Turning where I was facing forward I took the tie from the bottom of it and undid the braid. As I combed it out to the best of my ability with my fingers, I thought of my answer. I started to weave the hair back together neatly as I replied, "I really don't know exactly. It has been white since I was a baby. My parents told me it happened one night when I had had really bad nightmares."

I noticed both Gan Ning and Ling Tong hang their heads when I finished speaking. I completed the neat braid and tied it together. Silence yet again fell over us, not as long lasted as the last time. Gan Ning's head shot up and he gave me a toothy grin, "You know, you told me that I had the manners of a pig for not introducing myself. Yet you have not done so yourself. At least not to me, did she so to you Ling Tong?" Brown hair flew as he spun his head to face us, a toothy grin on his face as well. I felt my blood run cold as I realized my faux pas. "You know, she didn't."

I giggled at the two of them; shaking my head again, I looked up, "I'm sorry guys, I forgot. Call me Koa, ok?" They both cocked their eyebrows but Ling Tong spoke first, "Just Koa? If that is the case then just call me Tong." He looked over to Gan Ning and they nodded at one another before he went on, "And him Ning. Got it?" I nodded back to them. Again, silence as the rode got bumpy. Most of the jerks were not bad but a few of the made me wince in pain. Ning and Tong would glance at me but kept quiet each time.

At about mid-day, the caravan stopped to rest. Ning helped me from the cart and held me steady as I tried to get the feeling to return to my legs. Once the tingling was gone, he let me go, though I felt his reluctance to do so. With a smile to him, I hobbled over to Bay where Shang Xiang had tied him to a tree, along with Lu Meng's horse. From behind me, I heard the deep voice of Lu Meng. "So would you care to tell me what you said to Gan Ning?" I turned to face him while I rubbed Bay's neck. "What? When I had Tong nearly falling out the wagon in laughter?" His eyes widened for a second before he nodded, "He was picking on Tong so I got even. That's all, why?"

He snickered and shook his head at me. "Those two are always on each other about something. I just do not want to have to handle another troublemaker. I am getting too old to deal with the two that I already have to put up with." I nodded my head to him and he walked away. I gave a few more scratches to Bay and turned to join the others as they began to eat.

I took a seat between Ning and Tong, giving each little shoves to scoot over for me. There was lively conversation and laughter between us all as we ate. A few little snippets of insults flew between Ning, Tong, and I. As well as Lu Meng, chiding us like a father would his children. I felt happy, at peace if only for the moment. A moment is all I really got. For two scouts came flying up the path we had already passed yelling to Lu Meng. Break was over, we had been found and now being followed. Zhang Liao was angry for my escape and not willing to let it go it seems.

In a flash our lunch was cleaned up and we were all back in formation, rushing along the path ahead. Is this what my life is coming to? Am I going to be chased by these people for the rest of it? I hung my head. The feeling of two hands, one on each shoulder caused me to look up. First to Ning, "Don't worry Koa." Then to Tong, "Yea, we will keep you safe. It is our sole job right now." I could not help the smile again. _Thank you but you really do not have to._

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	9. Race to Jiangling

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

Tong pushed the horses to their limits to keep up with Sun Shang Xiang and Lu Meng. Ning kept peering behind us and complaining on how he should be in the back holding off the enemy. Tong would bark at him each time and urge the horses to go faster. I clung to the seat with all I had to keep from being thrown helplessly to the ground. Every bump and jerk of the cart sent shock waves of agony through my body; I kept my mouth clamped to hold my silence.

As we rounded the next bend, we had lost sight of our leaders. Tong slapped the reins on the backs of the poor beasts were giving their all too simply stay moving. Ning glanced back again and hissed a string of curses that would make most sailors blush. I turn to see what was going on. My blood ran cold.

Behind us ran two equestrians. One covered in silver armor, carrying two war axes and the other with his hair drawn back in a ponytail holding his spear above his head. Ning stood and worked his way to the back of the cart, picking up a nasty looking sickle from behind the seat. Reaching the very end of the cart, he stood tall, holding his weapon in a challenge to the other men.

I shrunk down to the footrest, Tong giving me a curious look but not saying a word as he focused on maneuvering the vessel in a way that would not throw Ning to the ground behind us. I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw. I cannot let him fight them. They will murder him. He cannot die over me; I cannot let him. My eyes shot open with renewed vigor.

Standing up, working with the shifting of the vehicle and pushing away Tong hands as he tried to hold me in place. I made my way to stand behind Ning; I wrapped my arms around his waist for balance. Feeling him tense at my actions I spoke as loudly as I could without screaming in his ear, "Ning, go back to the front please. You can't fight them both." I felt him shrug and turn his head toward me, his cockiness thick in his voice, "Don't worry Koa, you have never seen me fight. I do not intend to attack them head on. Just fend them off if they try to get on here."

Pulling my head from his back, I glanced at our chasers. They had gained on us greatly, flanking out slightly; they moved to come at us from both sides. Ning flung his head back and forth between the two, watching to see who would try to jump first. I could hear the slap of the reins on the backs of our horses as Tong tried in vain to put distance between them and us.

Ning pulled me to the left, dodging Zhang He's attack at us. I looked at his face, his brows were furrowed at me, but his eyes showed his smug look. He had the same look he did back in the mess hall, as if he was going to eat me. He thrust his spear again, meeting the metal of Ning's sickle in a flash of sparks. Ning growled and he returned with a teasing laugh.

A light brush of gloved fingers on my left leg caused me to react with a swift kick. It landed square in Zhang Liao's face, it caused him to lose his balance for a moment. His horse moved wide to the right putting a bit of distance between him and the cart. I smiled when I realized what I had done. Glancing down I spotted spear on the floor of out ride. With a smug grin on my face, I reached down and picked the weapon up. I moved so that my back was to Ning and I faced Zhang Liao, holding the spear across my body. I felt Ning parry another attempt from Zhang He as Zhang Liao regained his position next to us; he held an angry scowl on his bruising face.

"Hang on you two!" Tong yelled back to us. The cart gave a sudden jerk, I looked up ahead of us, and my grin grew. I gave Ning a nudge and he too looked. He gave me a wink before he turned back to his opponent. Zhang He thrust his spear at Ning's legs again but this time Ning parried his blow and managed to hook his sickle in to the intricately designed head of his spear. He used this hold to keep Zhang He precisely where he was, no closer, no farther away. Zhang He struggled to free his weapon from Ning's, but I could hear my friend laugh at his attempts.

Zhang Liao began to move closer to the cart and I watched him reach out to grab the edge before I turned and smacked him in the face with the handle of the spear. It must have surprised him greatly because he went to jump back only to grasp the fact he had already slip completely from his mounts saddle and it was now slowing to a stop. I heard him give a sound between a growl and a squeal before he hit the ground and rolled several times, finally coming to a halt face first in the dirt.

I turned to see Ning laughing at Zhang He's vain striving to tear his weapon from Ning's hold. I glanced up seeing where we were headed; with a smart-ass grin, I peeked around Ning's side and gave Zhang He a little wave just as his horse jolted to the left. The move placed Zhang He dangling between his stirrups and his weapon, I closed my eyes just as Ning released his hold on the other's weapon and heard the sickening crack of his outstretched body hit the trunk of a passing tree. Ning and Tong gave hardy laughs while I simply sighed. Happy to be rid of those two, if only for the moment.

Tong pulled the horses to a more reasonable speed, easing them to the bottom of the last mountain. Reaching the flat ground, we were met by our lost allies. Lu Meng and Sun Shang Xiang rushed to us worry etched thick on their faces. Bay pulled Shang Xiang right up next to Ning and threw his head into the man's lap. I gave a little giggle at his expression of worry and Ning's surprised jump at the sudden touch of the white beast. I reached over and gave his muzzle a comforting scratch to show him I was indeed all right.

"I thought you had followed us! Damn it Ling Tong! Don't you pay any attention to your surroundings?" Lu Meng's voice stole my attention from Bay. I turned to see a very angry longhaired old man a mere centimeter from Tong's face. The younger man was looking down and scratching the back of his head. I could tell he was trying to come up with some kind of excuse for his commander but was drawing a blank.

I cleared my throat, causing both of them to look at me, "Well, Lu Meng. We are all ok. Zhang He and Zhang Liao should be off our tails for at least a little while and we are here. Can you at least be happy about that?" The older man gave me a puzzled look and opened his mouth to give me a piece of his mind before the sound of hoof beats cut him off, riding to us from the path a head were a group of combined green and red clad warriors led by Yue Ying and a young man clad in red.

"Lord Lu Meng, Lady Sun!" The young man called, "I am glad to see that you are all well. Lord Sun Quan sent us to escort you the rest of the way. Are you ready?" Lu Meng shot me a glare that all but screamed 'we will finish this later' and climbed from the cart. He remounted his horse and called to everyone else to pack in and head out. In a few minutes, we were heading down the road again.

As we slowly made our way down the path before us, Tong leaned over to me and spoke low so that Lu Meng would not hear him, "Thanks for helping me out back there, but I think Lu Meng is going to rip you apart. Next time let him just wear himself out. OK?" I nodded. _Well now look what you have done Koa, good job._

I sighed and closed my eyes. I just wanted to rest for a few minutes. We bumped along for a while in silence. A sharp poke to my right side made me jolt up right only to hear Ning laugh at me. I growled at him, he just pointed a head of him. I turned to see a small village just crawling with red and green clad soldiers. Ning smiled at my gaping mouth, "This is Jiangling, our camp before our next battle, and where we drop you off. I hear there are some pretty important people in Shu who want you back." He gave another laugh when I sat up and began to scan the area.

We came to a stop in the middle of the camp. Ning helped me down from the cart, and then it was pulled away. I guessed they were going to unhitch the horses and let them have a well-deserved rest. Ning gave me a pat on the shoulder and I turned to him, he opened his mouth but someone called to him. He shook his head and gave me a wave before he walked away, leaving me very alone in the middle of a sea of people.

"Koa!" Came a familiar voice, I turned to face it only to be squished into a hard silver wall. It felt like I was going to be broken in half. "I am so glad you are alright. I am sorry I was unable to protect you. It will not happen again, this I swear." I smiled into his armor, reaching around him I returned his hug and giving him a pat on the back.

"Zhao Yun, it is alright. I am back now. Don't worry about before. It's over." He placed his head on top of mine; I could feel him smile into my hair. Suddenly his gave me a quick squeeze and I could not stop the yelp that burst from my lips. He pulled away with a worried look as he eyed me. I just shook my head and pointed at my injured side. He nodded and took my hand, leading me off from the middle of the now staring people. Well this is nice, I feel like I am home again… _Home?_

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	10. The Next Move

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

Two days had passed since I was reunited with Zhao Yun and many of the others. My ribs have finally begun to heal properly; it felt so great to be able to breathe without stabbing pain as my reward. I sat beneath a large tree overlooking the stables dressed in some of Xing Cai's loose travel clothes. She had been so kind to lone me several comfortable outfits while we stayed at the camp. I pulled the pale green shirt out enough to take a good look at it, it was an ugly color, but beggars cannot be choosers I suppose.

An angry whinny drew my attention back to the paddock I had been watching. Bay had grown accustom to the other horses, but he seemed to be making friends with many species here. As of now, I was watching him chase Tong around the paddock because he had tried to brush his tail before his mane. That horse can be so fussy sometimes.

I had not seen much of Zhao Yun for this time, other than then when he had taken me to see the doctor of the camp for my ribs. Since then he had been trapped in meeting after meeting. They were planning a battle against the people who had kidnapped me. Another reason I was still in the camp, Zhao Yun did not trust anyone else to escort me back to his house and he was too busy to take me himself. I wish he would learn that I am not just some weak little girl that needs someone holding my hand all the time.

"Hey, maybe you should calm down a bit. Anger is not becoming of one so pretty." Ning's voice came from behind me. I glanced up at him confused and he pointed at my hand. Apparently, I had ripped some grass out of the ground while lost in my thoughts. I gave a meek smile and brushed the dirt and foliage from my hands while he took a seat next to me. He looked down the hill to watch Bay chase Tong; a chuckle came from him at the scene. Bay had cornered a very scared Tong between the fence and barn and was giving him an earful in the equestrian language.

We were content watching Tong slowly realize what it was that Bay wanted. He ran through Bay's mane and smiled when he received a happy whinny in response. I smiled at the two but it quickly faded when I felt a hand placed on my thigh. I spun to face Ning while pushing his hand away. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" I snapped at him, causing him to jump back and stutter his comeback.

"W…well I… I just thought that maybe we could," He had the whole deer in the headlights look on his face. I did not give him a chance to finish he thought, "Maybe we could what? Get a bit too touchy feely?" I could almost taste the acid in my tone. He cringed at my words, shaking his head he stood and with a huff stomped away. I jumped to my feet. _I am not done with you yet!_

"What are you just going to cop a feel and run when rejected? You better get back here and explain what the hell you were thinking!" He growled and continued to march away. I let out my own growl and spun around to stalk off when again, I hit a large, solid, silver wall. This time I gave a grunt of exasperation when I felt the strong arm of the wall come around my back to prevent the predicted stumble backward. I looked up to his face only to be met with the sight of his chin as he glared at the retreating form of Ning.

When the other man was well out of sight Zhao Yun took a step back and looked into my eyes. I could see a mixture of worry and anger in his stare but only heard the worry in his question, "What did he do that made you so angry?" I shifted out of his reach; again, he was acting as if I was unable to handle myself. What is it with men in the time, one moment they leave you almost completely hanging, and then the next they are over you. I did not answer him; I simply moved to make my way down the hill toward Bay and Tong. I was stopped by a hand around my wrist, I tried to pull away only to be met with a tighter grip.

"I am not letting go until you tell me what happened." His voice was firm, like reprimanding a child. I growled at him and yanked my hand from his hold, snapping, "Nothing I can't handle on my own. You do realize that I can do that sometimes, right?" I did not even glance back as I stalked down the hill to the barn; I needed to go for a ride. I heard him growl behind me and take off to a run to come to a stop in front of me. I ducked to the right to brush past him only to be caught by an outstretched arm.

Giving an exasperated huff, I turned to look in to his face. His eyes gave that same apologetic look as back in the garden. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he began, "I understand that you are not completely helpless. Lady Sun told me how you escaped on your own and found them. I am just concerned that I will lose you for good. I do not know if I could handle that. Do you understand?" I rolled my eyes and nearly laughed as that same surprised look flashed on his face, just like when I did that before.

Suddenly the grass seemed much more interesting than his chiseled face. His hand moved from my waist to my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. I shook off his hand and moved to continue my walk to the barn. I could hear his steps as he chased after me, my pace increased hoping that he would get the hint and back off. As I reached the barn and went in, I knew he had not. He followed me straight to Bay's stall where Tong stood petting my mount. I stopped in front of the gate and gave Bay a scratch on the nose.

Tong looked up to Zhao Yun then to me but I spoke before he had the chance, "I'm going to take Bay for a ride. Thanks for brushing him down. I'll do it when we get back." The man nodded and made his way out of the barn. I went to open the gate but found a hand holding it closed. This time I slapped the wood, startling both Bay and Zhao Yun back for a second. Turning my body to face my silver stalker I all but screamed at him, "Don't you get it Zhao Yun, I need some time to myself! Back off!"

He stood like a statue, unmoving and entirely unreadable, staring at me with only determination in his look. "You are still healing. Riding now could intensify your injury." I tried to shove his hand away, just to have him catch mine and spin me around. Pinned between the stall gate and his imposing stature I was forced to look him in the eye. "Lady Koa, I know you are not happy with the situation, but please, let me protect you. It is not wise for you to go off alone right now. Wei is near and Cao Cao is after you for some reason."

I closed my eyes, searching myself for some kind of inner strength. Taking the moment, Zhao Yun moved his head to where when I opened my eyes again I was staring directly in to those coffee colored pools that shone on his face. Our noses were so close I could feel the fine hairs on both brush against one another. I felt a knot form in my stomach as we stood there, each waiting for the others next move. I shifted so that my hands were place on his chest, however, he moved before I could. Swooping in, he pressed his lips to mine; he was firm while retaining some softness as if he were afraid I would break if he were too forceful. I went stiff in surprise as his hands moved from the wooden gate to my waist.

After what seemed like an eternity, he released me from his grip and took a step back. I remained pressed against the gate, breath hitched in my throat, staring at him. His hand went to his messy black hair as his eyes went to the dirt at our feet. Slowly and somewhat shaking, I took a step toward him, "Why did you..." he cut me off with the hand from his hair held in the air.

"I am sorry, Lady Koa, I do not know what came over me." I looked at the dirt myself, glancing up when he cleared his throat. He was again looking at me, a new emotion hiding in his eyes, one I could not name. He seemed to hesitate before he spoke again, "Will you please change your mind on going for a ride for now? Lord Liu Bei has asked to speak with you. That was why I first sought you out this morning." Inside me, an anger I have never felt before flared. I was silent as I turned to Bay, gave him a pat on his forehead, and stalked out of the barn.

From behind me, I heard Zhao Yun hiss something to himself then move to hurry after me. He took the lead, showing me the way to the building that Liu Bei and the others had been using for their meetings. When I entered everyone looked up to me, I recognized some from the party sitting on one side of the table. On the other side of the table were Lu Meng and the kid that came to meet us on the path with others that I did not know at all. Yue Ying was among the people at the table, she gestured for me to sit next to her at the table.

Once Zhao Yun and I had taken our seats Liu Bei nodded to the man sitting brown haired man next to him. That man looked to me as he spoke, "Thank you for joining us, Lady Koa. As I am sure you know, we are planning a large-scale attack on Wei soon and have been working out strategizes for this battle. We have come to the decision that we may need your help. Would you be willing to do so?"

My gaze went first to Liu Bei who wore an apologetic expression, then to Zhao Yun. His face held a dumbfounded look as he stared at the man who had addressed me. Looking back to the man I opened my mouth to respond but the sound was lost to Zhao Yun's booming voice, "Lord Sun Quan! You cannot be serious. Lady Koa is not a warrior; she could not assist in the battle. On top of that she is…" Lu Meng cut him short by slamming his hand on the table. Everyone at the table turned his or her attention to the aged man.

"We are not asking her to fight, Zhao Yun. Not that I believe she is completely incapable of such," He paused to look me in the eye, "Ling Tong and Gan Ning told me how she had help hold off two of Wei's strongest generals." I felt myself puff in joy at the long awaited recognition that I was able to handle myself. "We are simply asking her to make an appearance on the battlefield. We all know that Cao Cao is after her. Maybe her showing up could draw his attention from the fight and make him an easier target for us." I instantly deflated. _A decoy, they want me to be a decoy!_

While I was still picking up the pieces of my brain to form a response, Zhao Yun volleyed back, "So you want to push her out into the middle of this fray to get captured or killed!" Lu Meng again shook his head, "She will not be alone. A small platoon will be her guard; we will not allow Cao Cao to take her. We just need a moment where his defenses are weakened." Zhao Yun opened his mouth to throw some more reason in to the argument just as I had my mind straightened out enough to have an intelligent thought spill from my lips.

"Enough!" I bellowed, effectively silencing the entire room, my eyes shot to Zhao Yun and his gaping mouth followed by an accusing finger, "Shut it", I hissed and his jaw snapped shut with a hollow clap. I then turned to Lu Meng who wore a similar face, "I won't be completely alone?" He nodded, "And I won't have to be in the open for long?" Again, he nodded; I turned back to Zhao Yun, a determined glint in my eye. "Fine, then I will do it."

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	11. Battles before Battles

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

The meeting went on for a few more hours, working out the details of the full strategy, including who would be guarding me. Zhao Yun argued several times to be among the group but either Lu Meng or Zhuge Liang shot him down every time. In the end, I had Xing Cai, Yue Ying and a group of ten lower ranked men to protect me in the coming battle. Finally, the meeting ended and we warily exited the room.

Just as I felt the sinking sun on my skin, I felt a strong hand grab the shoulder of my shirt and pull me away from the rest of the people. We marched for some time before coming to a sudden halt nearly out of seeing distance of the camp. Letting go of me, Zhao Yun spun on his heel and came millimeters from my face. I could feel the anger seeping off him as his eyed me for a few moments, I assumed he was gathering his thoughts.

"What were you thinking back there?" He snapped at me, I stepped back unsure of his outburst. "Why did you agree to that? You realize that you could end up back in Wei's clutches! Is that what you want? What did I do to make you that angry?" His eyes flicked to the ground for a moment, coming back with all of the rage replaced by his pleading worry again.

I shook my head, my anger had gone at the mere sight of his pathetic look, "It was not anything you did Zhao Yun. I just want to be helpful and show you that I am not as helpless as you seem to think I am. I do not need you feel like I am some weakling you need to defend all the time." He took a step forward and reached out to me, his eyes now full of regret. I let him place his hand on my arm, and I moved mine to cover his. He gave my arm a gentle squeeze; I responded with a smile before he moved away.

"You do not need to prove anything to me. I know you are not helpless; I just..." He paused and looked to the sky, shifting his feet uncomfortably before he looked back at me. "I just worry that you will be taken away again. I think you and I need to have a serious talk about the future after this." His words hit me hard. The future? Is my future here? I glanced to the grass again; the sound of retreating footsteps made me look up. Zhao Yun was gone, I was left to my thoughts I guess.

I do not know how long I stood there before Tong's voice pulled me back to reality. "Koa, hey where in the hell are you?" I turned around in circles several times, trying to pinpoint him. "Dammit Koa! You are going to end up in trouble if you stay out here too long." I gave a laugh and moved to come up behind the longhaired man. I placed my hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump and let out a sound, a mix of a yelp and a squeak, to which I promptly laughed as he turned to glare at me. "What the hell! Do not do that to me!" I could only laugh harder as he stood there stewing in his anger.

His hard eyes on me as he raised his hand and pointed behind me, indicating the location of the camp, he was sent to bring me back. I turned, still giggling, and headed to the safety of the confines of the grouping of buildings and tents. Tong continuing to glare at me as he stomped along beside me. When we reached the bustling camp I could hear people shouting to each other's, 'grab this' and 'don't forget that' all around. The whole area had the aura of the impending battle. I felt something deep in me twinge, excitement maybe. Was I really excited about this? What is happening to me?

Someone grabbed my right shoulder; yanking me from my thoughts. I turned to come eye to eye with Yue Ying. She nodded her head to Tong who returned the gesture and walked away from us. Her attention returned to me once the man was lost in the crowd. "Come on, you need at least a little armor for tomorrow. One of the blacksmiths has agreed to fit you tonight." I nodded and fell in step as she pushed through the mass of humans. We weaved in and out of the hordes of bodies, a few carts, and more horses than I could count. At last, we slipped into a small hut that radiated enough heat to melt my skin from my bones.

Inside there was the sound of banging metal and the groans of exertion of the man who was working to shape the stubborn mineral. We stood silent as we watched the man slam his hammer multiple times on to the sheet of glowing ore. He moved it from the anvil and sunk it into a bucket, which made it hiss and bellow steam. As he moved to remove it, he looked up to see Yue Ying and me standing there; he raised his hand and motioned for me to approach him. I did as commanded, he held the plate to my chest, and he pulled another from the table next to us and held it to my back. He called Yue Ying over and instructed her to hold the back tight to my own as he pulled a couple of links of metal and fastened the two pieces together. It was very tight and pinched in certain areas, crushing in others; I told him that when he asked. He nodded and relieved me of the vest. Pulling it apart, he re-heated it and gave it some more shaping to repeat the process many times before it fit me well enough to allow me to ride comfortably.

It was late when Yue Ying showed me to the mess tent. I let my eyes wander across the area; it was similar to the Wei mess tent. Rows of tables lined up with seats for men to sit on each side, and a long table set against the far side that was open to the night air. Now there were only a few stragglers left in the tent. The rest must have already gone to sleep; being fully rested for the morning was a good idea after all. Among the stragglers were Tong and Ning sitting at a table with several other men dressed in red hues same as them. At the far table was a couple of forest colored uniformed men talking, a sparkle coming from that group made me look closer. Sure enough, there sat Zhao Yun, still fully dressed in his armor, completely ignoring the men around him. I could feel his eyes burning my skin as I trudged through the line for food with my guide. Once we had full plates, Yue Ying moved to sit with the green clad men at the far table.

I stopped following her, choosing to sit instead at an empty table. I quietly began to eat my simple meal as I heard some of the men turn their conversations to my figure sitting by myself. I heard the scarlet group call me over, inviting me to sit with them. I gave them a glance, only to meet Ning's eye. Politely I turned them down, still feeling the burn of Zhao Yun's stare through my very soul. The next sound that came to my ears was that of a shifting stool and the telltale sound of jingling bells approaching me. I felt the burn intensify as Ning took a seat next to me, he leaned close to me, and for a moment, I thought I might just combust. His strong voice gave me something other than the intense stare to focus on, "Hey, about earlier, I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you. I just thought that you needed some comfort." I glance up to him; he was not looking at me, but returning the hard stare coming from the far side of the tent. "I just want you to know. There are other options for you here. You do not have to stay with Shu." He then moved his head extremely close to my own, his face a hair's breadth from mine, as a mischievous smirk came to his lips. It only took a second for the sound of falling stool and clanging metal closing in fast to fall on us.

"Just remember that, OK Koa?" he whispered before he backed off and stood as the sound of a slamming hand on the table came from my other side. I turned to see a look on Zhao Yun's face that I had only seen once before, that morning focused on the back of Ning as he marched down the hill. I heard other stools move and felt the air of the tent grew thick with tension. "Just what do you think you are doing pirate?" The question came from Zhao Yun's mouth in a hiss. Ning shrugged and turned to saunter out of the tent, his friends moving to follow him. All but Tong shooting Zhao Yun scalding looks. I watched as the men as they disappeared into the night as I felt Zhao Yun sit down my next to me. His body still emitting the tension from the confrontation with Ning, but it was slowly relaxing. I felt his hand graze mine; I shot my eyes to the source of the sensation. My hand was curled into a tight fist, he was stroking it; trying to get it to relax.

I pushed him away and jumped to my feet, collecting my dishes I let my eyes wander to the far table for a moment. Everyone was staring at me, and the rabid dog of a man that still sat on the stool; I let out a huff and turned away from the whole scene. Depositing my dishes with the first person that offered to take them I stalked from the tent and out to the now vacant street. The whole placed seemed like a ghost town; almost peaceful, like the valley. Oh the valley, how I wish I could be there again. Footsteps, coming to me, heavy and accompanied by the sound of clanking metal made me bolt. I did not know where I was going; just that maybe if I ran they would not follow. However, as usual, they only met my pace.

I ended up coming to a stop in front of the horse barn, now at a loss for where to go next. I fell against the wall of the solitary building, panting hard as my body fought for a decent breath. I closed my eyes and let my body slide to the dirt. After a few minutes, my lungs calmed down and I sat up. It was quiet; maybe he got the point this time. I felt a smile tug at my lips as I rested my head against the wall; my entire body relaxed and darkness engulfed me. The next thing I felt was the gentle warmth of the rising sun. I sat up, my back and neck protesting the movement but I stretched it away. As I twisted around trying to shake off the night on the ground, a movement caught my eye. Next to me, sitting in the dirt with his head hung low yet his face craned to look at me with sad eyes, sat Zhao Yun. I felt the same anger from the night before bubble up in me; his pathetic look was not enough to quell it this time. I let out a low growl and went to stand. A hand stopped me, grabbing my wrist and pulled me back to the ground. I twisted to free myself, but the grip tightened and another hand went to the opposite shoulder. "Please Koa, stop for a minute." His voice made me want to slap him; he had the tone of a scolding father.

I opened my mouth to let loose the barrage of insults that had built in me over the last few seconds, but the hand on my shoulder moved to cover them before a single syllable could make its way out. His tone had changed, now sounding more like a concerned friend would than an angry father. "Koa, please. I just want to know. Did that pirate kiss you last night?" My mouth fell ajar and I could tell my eyes where about six times their normal size. Is that what he is worried about, if Ning had kissed me? What would it matter if he had? I shifted to where my feet were underneath me, the hand from face went back to my shoulder, to hold me where I was. I snapped my mouth and closed my eyes as I tried to form the sentence in my head before it made its way out of my lips. A wicked grin grew on my face as I leaned forward, coming with in touching distance of his face with my own, "And so what if he did?" I bit out, my tone hardly more than a whisper.

It worked perfectly, just as I wanted he jumped back, and released me from his grip as he moved to catch himself. I took the newfound freedom to jump to my feet and make a run for the camp. My escape was short lived however; I was caught again by his strong arms and pulled close to his chest. A tingle went up my spine when his breath passed over my ear. His words were lost to the sensation until he moved away, heading to the camp in a jog. I stood there recovering from the shock when what he had said hit me, "I'll kill him." _Oh, that's not good..._

I came to the camp in a full sprint to hit a wall of the backs of men. I pushed through them, fighting to get to the front. As I shoved one to the side, I caught a familiar voice, "Hey, come on now, and quit pushing me. Oh, what are you doing Koa?" I looked up to meet Tong's amber orbs. "What is going on?" It came out a bit more frantic than I meant but it got the point across. He shrugged, "Don't really know. Ning and I were do the last few preparations for the battle when Zhao Yun came blasting up, yelling something about how Ning was going to pay for what he did. Koa does this have to do with last night?" I turned to continue my push forward as answered, "Zhao Yun thinks Ning kissed me." Tong stopped shouting for people to move and grabbed my arm, effectively spinning me around to face him, "Did he?" It was a simple question but the answer seemed so difficult. I just pulled away from him and we kept making our way through the crowd.

Finally, we broke through, coming to a stop in the middle of a circle of men, and not four feet from the figures of Zhao Yun and Ning. The held themselves in fighting stances, yelling back and forth. Without thinking, I rushed to stand in between them. "Knock it off you two!" My scream silenced the entire crowd. The combatants froze and stared at me, instantly I pointed an accusing finger at Zhao Yun. "You need to calm the hell down. No; no he didn't, is that what you wanted to hear?" I shouted. At this point, I noted that people in the crowd were steadily disappearing. I caught why out of the corner of my eye, Lui Bei, Sun Quan, and a few others were coming towards us, but I was on a roll now. "He didn't do anything but give me an offer I might just take him up on!" Zhao Yun looked as if I had slapped him, and I felt Ning's arm on my shoulders. "At least he understands that I am fully grown woman capable of making my own decisions. I get that you feel something toward me, but I don't need you hovering over me all the time. Just back off, for a day!"

Now Liu Bei and Sun Quan had gotten over to us and the crowd had completely dispersed. I shrugged Ning's arm off my shoulders and turned to go get ready for the battle and leave them to face their bosses. As I rounded the last turn to the blacksmith's shop, I came face to face with Sun Shang Xiang, Xing Cai, and Yue Ying. They stood shoulder to shoulder with their arms crossed, frown etched on their faces as they stared at me. I came to a stop and stared back at them, "What?" Gee, real smooth. They looked at each other, silently deciding who was going to speak first. Finally, Yue Ying stepped forward. Clearing her throat, she eyed me before she spoke, "What happened with Zhao Yun and Gan Ning? Why were they fighting?" I cringed and shook my head, I really did not want to answer that, but I knew they would keep on until I did. "Zhao Yun had it in his head that Ning kissed me. However, I am not sure why that would bother him. It's not like he has a claim to me." I watched as surprise washed over each of their faces.

Sun Shang Xiang stepped forward with her hand held out, she was about to say something when a voice rang out through the camp. "All right everyone. It is time to go; we will clear up this mess later. Gear up and move out!" It was Liu Bei's voice above the crowd. The women sighed and Sun Shang Xiang bid us farewell, while Yue Ying and Xing Cai helped me get into my new armor and saddle Bay. We soon joined the rest of the army in our march. My guards gathered around me as we headed south to the place that many called red cliff during the meeting. I sighed when I saw Zhao Yun ride up to my little group. He spoke to Yue Ying for a moment before falling in step with me. "I understand you want me to let you be for a while. However, I want you to know, should you need assistance. I will not be far from the point where you are to make your appearance. I will be guarding Zhuge Liang. Please, do not hesitate to come to me, if you need it that is." With that in the open, he gave his mount a quick nudge and melded back in to the herding army. Well at least he is letting me make the choice. I rode the rest of the way with a smile plastered on my face. _It's a start…_

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	12. On a wing and a Prayer

**This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

Our travels took two days. In that time the only people to approach me were my guards, Sun Shang Xiang, and once Tong. He came to tell me that, after the little spat between Zhao Yun and Ning, Sun Quan had asked Ning not to approach me again without a good reason. It kind of irked me that he had done that but I chose not to say anything, better to keep the tense peace that shrouded the armies than open my mouth and anger everyone. In the meeting, I had learned that this was going to be an incredibly important battle so I really did not want to instigate any more in fighting.

Not even Zhao Yun had come over since the day we began the journey, although I had seen him a few times. He had been making rounds the last time we had made camp, when he came to check in with us, he spoke to Yue Ying and simply returned my wave and walked away. It was somewhat nice to have him back off a bit, yet not totally ignoring me. Between that and my wounds healing well my mood seemed to grow more and more cheery each day, something that Xing Cai made a point to say something about; commenting on how nice it was not to have to look over to me only to receive a glare in return. I apologized to her; I had not realized that I was doing that to people.

This morning found us grouping together on the on the south side of a river, boats were lined up across it that seemed to be ours and there were more facing us about a hundred yards down river. The other boats seemed to be chained together, something that Zhuge Liang had mentioned during the meeting, but I think I was dozing during that part. I shrugged at the sight. Oh well, not my job to worry about it. Looking around the new campsite, I decided I would go find something to make myself look busy for a while. As I wandered around I managed to help a few soldiers with their armor or something of the like, before making my way to go give Bay a good brushing.

Reaching the side of the white beast as he stood tied to a branch I began to get as much of the dust out of his coat when I heard footsteps behind me. I at first ignored them until I realized that they had come to a stop right behind me. I craned my head slightly to take a glance at who it was and lo and behold, there stood Zhao Yun. He stared at me for a moment before looking to the grass. His whole body relayed that he was unsure about speaking to me. I could not really blame him. I had been all over the place in my mind the last time. To lighten the mood, I gave Bay a pat and turned to face the man. I smiled and tipped my head to the side, trying to relay that I was not angry and listening. He returned my smile and reach out to take my hand.

"Lady Koa, I just wanted to tell you to be careful and stay with your guards. They will protect you. Yue Ying and Xing Cai have made it known that they wish to head out now. It will be this morning that the battle begins." He turned slightly to the side and pointed to a large hill on the far side of the boats. "I will be up there with Zhuge Liang, you remember the plan right?"

"Yes, from the hill there will be three torches; one will be lit so we can see them; the second will be lit to warn us to get ready. If the third is lit then we are to make our appearance on the field. If they are extinguished at any point we are to turn and escape back to the marshes, and make our way back to Jiangling without looking back." He nodded to me, accepting my understanding of the plan. He then squeezed my hand and leaned close to me. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me again, but instead he only rested his forehead on mine and closed his eyes. We stood there quiet for some time before a female voice broke us apart. Xing Cai had come to help me ready Bay. Zhao Yun bid me farewell and took his leave. I stared at the newly arrived woman as she gave me a knowing smile. I shook my head and went to help her saddle Bay. _I hope this works._

Once Bay was ready Xing Cai handed me a cloak, telling me I need to put it on for now, then she and I led him over to where Yue Ying and the others were waiting for us. We mounted up and slowly made our way across the boats. Once on the other side we passed Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun heading up the mound, I gave them both a wave to which Zhuge Liang bowed and Zhao Yun returned. Next, we were headed up the hills in front of us. We were to find a spot where we could see the torches and wait for our signal. We ended up in a small meadow with several large stone blocking our view, so we send one of the men in the group to sit on them and watch. It was not long until he called down that the first torch had been lit, seconds later the sounds of battle cries and clashing metal reached us. I saw Yue Ying give a quick prayer, probably for her husband's safety.

We dismounted for a few hours so we would not get sore while waiting and I removed the cloak. As the sun was moved directly overhead the guard on the rocks scrambled to the edge to inform us that the second torch had been lit. We all scurried to return to out horses while another guard brought the lookout's ride to the side of the rock so that he could make a hasty mount. After waiting for so long for the second torch the minutes between it and the lighting of the third seemed like only two heartbeats. When the call came down from the rocks, we tapped our horses into motion and made out way down the hill.

As we reached the field I realized why they had finally called us out, all the way to the base of the hill where Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun were was overrun with the enemy. Yue Ying and Xing Cai pushed the guards to circle me as they started for the enemy ships, killing foot soldiers as we went. As we hacked and slashed through the field, we began to draw everyone's attention, just as we wanted. We stopped our advance toward the opposing ships about half way up the bank and stood our ground fighting anyone who came near us.

Apparently, one of the enemy soldiers recognized me and turned tail to go inform the next person I saw. He rode up fully armored with his axes at the ready, and even through his helmet, I could see his glare at me. I guess that throw to the ground did not hurt him as much as I would have liked. He charged Xing Cai and knocked her from her horse, the others moved to help her in an instant, leaving his path to me completely open. As he advanced on me, I froze, unsure as to what I should do, in a flash there was a staff locked with his axes. Yue Ying had come back to defend me, I made a mental note to thank her immensely when this was over as I pulled Bay to gain a little distance between him and I, as she had ordered me three times already. I moved myself back towards our side of the battlefield, now realizing that the path was empty. All of the enemy soldiers either must have fled or been beaten; I glanced around taking a rough count of the bodies that were strewn around. _Most have fled..._

I stopped my run where I could still see Yue Ying and the other fighting Zhang Liao but I would still have enough time to dart away should he make a move for me. As I sat there, staring at the fight, the breeze felt good on my face, so I was a little sad when it suddenly left my face; only to return in tenfold force from behind me. I quickly tried to move my hair from my face so that I could see. It seemed that the moment I was blind the entire world had shifted. A clear view of the battlefield showed hordes of enemy charging to help Zhang Liao. Yue Ying and Xing Cai were trying to cut their losses and run but he kept hammering on them, cutting off their paths with a swing his axes.

A strange feeling came over me, one I had only felt once before, in the barn. I tightened my grip on the reigns, readying to charge forward to help my friends when I heard a roar behind me. Glancing over my shoulder I almost fell over at the sight. It looked almost as if the entire army was coming to our rescue. Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei were leading the charge. They blew right past me and went to help their loved ones, which made me smile. Most of the others followed them, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was small and light, turning to face the person I was met by large green eyes.

"Hey, are you alright? He didn't hit you did he?" Sun Shang Xiang asked. I shook my head and returned my eyes to the new fight right before us. It seemed our allies had the upper hand now. Zhang Liao and his men were being pushed back as I caught the oddest site out of the corner of my eye. Looking up I studied the oddity, a lone boat was skimming across the river, toward the enemies ships. As it got closer the men on board surprised me even more, they set their boat on fire! Now it had become a missile headed for the enemy. Then something clicked to me, the ships are tied together. There was going to be no way to lessen that fire, the whole fleet was going to be ash! _That was the plan I had slept though..._

A sickening sound grabbed my eyes from the ships, a cry from a very familiar voice. Without thinking about it, I pushed Bay to full speed and into the heart of the battle, ignoring Sun Shang Xiang's cries for me to stop. I darted in between fighters, frantically searching for the source of the cry. The feeling from before began to swell in me, I felt like I was suffocating. The flames of the enemy fleet lit the battle up like a spotlight in the sinking sun, I was thankful for that. When I reached the middle of the field is when I spotted something that made my heart stop.

His polished silver armor was filthy and barely hanging in place. His right arm was bare of it armor and bleeding profusely from a multitude of injuries. He held his spear in his left as he knelt on the ground doing his best to defend against the barrage of attacks form his purple clad opponent. The man was tall with long black hair and cold brown eyes. His clothes were a mix of white and purple, different from the others greatly. It was, however, his sword that drew my attention, the heavily designed metal weapon was now being held over his head in preparation for a powerful blow. My eyes shot to Zhao Yun to see him hunched over unable to protect himself. A scream tore from my throat as I kicked Bay into a gallop. I held my arm out in a vain attempt to reach him over the distance. I knew I was too late as the sword began to descend onto Zhao Yun's helpless form. Tears filled my eyes and I felt my stomach drop.

Warmth filled my body as white light shone brightly from my extended hand. I heard screams from the crowds around me. My vision began to blur as I neared Zhao Yun and his foe. The last thing I saw was his deep brown eyes stare at me, a mix of fear and concern filling them. Then the world went dark.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	13. The End?

**This chapter is a replacement of the old one. This is the direction that I had originally intended the story to take. For those who liked the old chapter, I did save it and may use it in another story. However this is how it was supposed to go.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

The warmth was intense, but the light was bearable. As I laid on the ground in the dream world, I could open my eyes fully. The figure that always met me there was several feet from me, kneeling over another figure. I strained my eyes in an attempt to focus as the scene became clear. She knelt over Zhao Yun with a frown on her face. Slowly she straightened and turned to face me as I stood. In her angelic face, I could read the anger.

"I tried! He was too far from me. I couldn't reach him!" I cried. The figure was taken aback by my words. In a blink of an eye, she appeared next to me.

Her face still held her anger as she leered over me. "Your failure is my fault. I should not have trusted a human with such an important task. Return to your world now. I will fix this on my own." She raised her hand to me and my body erupted in fire.

Again, I felt cold, freezing really. A horrible taste in my mouth made me cough. My body ached as I moved to sit up. I spit several times trying to get the dirt from my mouth. As I did so, I began to look around. Wood floors covered in dirt, wooden walls, and a calico cat sitting next to me. I was back in my barn. Bay stood in his stall with his head craned to see me. Outside was the total darkness of the valley night. _Was all of that just a dream?_

Light flooded the area and I turned to the source. A car had pulled in to the driveway. My father had returned home. He parked the car, jumped out and rushed to my side. I still sat on the ground, my head pounded and I was confused. His hand on my shoulder pulled me from my thoughts. When my eyes met his, I could see the worry his mind held.

"Koa, are you alright? What are you doing on the ground?"

I heard him but my mind was still trying to sort out what was going on. I staggered to my feet with my father's help. I stared at him. I could not find ability to form the millions of questions swirling in my mind into any intelligible words. My father placed his arm around my shoulders and led me in our home. He took to my room and helped me into my bed. His features still etched with worry. He stood at my bedside for several minutes before he turned to leave. On his way out of the door, he told me that if I was not well by morning he was taking me to the hospital.

As I lay in my bed, my mind ran through everything that had occurred. Did it really happen? Had I really been in the past? Was my time with Zhao Yun real at all? Maybe I had passed out and simply dreamt the entire thing up. My thoughts went to the books my brother had. The history of that period, maybe something in them would help me understand. Gently, I stood from the bed and slipped down the hall to my brother's vacant room.

My father had asked me to pack away his belongings days before. I had to move a number of the boxes before I could reach the one marked, 'books'. Quickly I dug into it. Finding one that might help I sat on the floor and began flipping the pages. I found the chapter on the battle that I remembered taking part in. I could vaguely remember what the book had said when I had scanned it years ago. However, this time it seemed to be completely different. The book said that even though the strategy that Zhuge Liang and a man named Zhou Yu had been successful, the death of the Shu general Zhao Yun had crippled the allied forces. Shu and their allies, Wu, had lost the battle. I skipped to the next chapter and scanned it. It was completely different from before. Shu was not mentioned at all. I skipped to the next. Again, it said nothing about Shu. It was as though the entire Shu kingdom was erased after the battle. I dropped the book and searched for another. I found one that I knew went into detail about each of the forces that were involved in the wars of that time. I flipped to the section on Shu and read, only a short paragraph on a single page was written.

'Though the kingdom of Shu was a great force with powerful generals and the strategist Zhuge Liang, the loss at Chi Bi decimated the army. The Lord Liu Bei lost his will to fight when both Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were slain on the battlefield along with many others. Shu disassembled after the battle and the few remaining generals joined in with the other kingdoms or retired from warfare completely. Lui Bei's dream of a land of benevolence ended in full with his death of illness within a year of the loss of his campaign.'

As I finished reading, I noticed dark dots on the pages. I brushed my fingers over them and realized they were wet. I was crying. The story was not right at all. When I failed to save Zhao Yun, I had set this story in motion. I felt something deep inside my heart begin to burn with desire. I had to fix this. _But how?_

I spent the rest of the night pouring over all of the books my brother had; grateful he had been so obsessed with China. He had books on its history, its customs, and a book on some of the mystic beliefs that were prevalent over the past few millennia. Sunlight was over powering the harsh light that the ceiling fixture gave when I found a particularly interesting entry in the mystic book. My eyes flew over the printed words, my mind consuming ever word with vigor. It was the story of a way to change the events of the past. The entry however, stopped short in explaining how it was done. I let out a deep, agitated growl as I snapped the book shut and threw it to the floor.

My father's voice caught my attention as I moved to retrieve another book in my search for an answer. I turned my head to see him standing in the door. He had clearly just woken up. His short hair was in a mess on his head and his robe clung loosely over his cloth pants. A quizzical expression on his, still tired, face asked his question for his voice. I smiled at him and stood. My sleeping legs protested immensely at the movement but I pushed past the discomfort. I carefully walked over to my father and gave him a hug. He returned the embrace with a sigh.

He placed a kiss on the top of my head and groggily spoke, "Let's go downstairs and get some breakfast. I need coffee anyways. We have to talk." I gave him a nod and started down the hall. He flipped the light off in my brother's room and followed me. We sat at the kitchen table in silence for almost half an hour while I ate and he drank his coffee. He started to ask what had happened the night before but seemed it would be better to leave it alone. Finally, he sighed, signaling he was ready to talk to me. I set down the toast I had been nibbling on and gave him my full attention.

"I am sorry I was so late coming home last night. As I was leaving work the realtor called me." My heart sank, knowing what he was going to say next, "There was an offer on the house. It isn't what I was asking but enough for me to accept." He paused to meet my eyes; he knew I was not happy about the news. With a groan, he looked back to his cup. "I went to sign the papers. They want to move in by the end of next week. Therefore, I am going into the city today and see about renting a townhouse I have been looking at."

I stared at him, my jaw was set solid and I felt like I was about to bite my tongue in half. He finished his cup of coffee and stood, moving to refill the ceramic one more time. As he did, I heard him ask if I wanted to join him. I did not answer. I simply stormed up to my room and slammed the door. I sat on the edge of my bed and fought a war in my mind. Should I take the time to be angry with my father or should I be using the time trying to find a way back to Zhao Yun. A knock on my door pulled away from the argument. I waited for it to open but only my father's voice followed through the wood. He told me he was heading out. I did not answer.

A minute later, I heard his car leave the driveway. I stood and stretched. I would continue my argument after a shower. Once I was clean and my clothes were fresh I decided that I would ignore the situation with my father and see if I could find any more information on what the mystic book had said. I went into my father's office and turned on his computer. My internet search was for the most part fruitless. That was until I found a link to the site for some sort of shop. I clicked on it and it took me to an informational page about the owner of this shop. 'Thousands of years of mystical knowledge has be collected by and passed through the Tháng family. Huan is a seventy-sixth generation mystic of the family line. He has spent he life studying the text that his ancestors have kept and opened the shop to help those in need.' My eyes went wide and I smiled. Maybe this man could help me. Quickly I looked around on the site to find where the store was, hoping that it was near. I nearly fell out of the chair when I read the city name. The same city my father intended us to move into; I grabbed a pen and scrap of paper and jotted down the address and store hours. If father wanted us to live there then that was fine with me.

Still I would miss the old house. I turned off the computer and decided to wander around our home for a few hours. I took in every detail of the structure, committing it all to my memory so that I would never forget. I made my way back upstairs to my brother's room. I picked up the book on mysticism and found the entry I had read earlier; I placed the scrap of paper as a bookmark and set it off to the side. I then went about returning the other books to the box I had nearly emptied that night. I was beginning to feel my weariness as I picked up the last book. Holding it, I stared at the cover for a moment. With a sigh, I flipped it open and reread the paragraph on the Shu kingdom. I turned and set it on top of the mystic book before I closed up the box. I then gathered the books and went to my room.

Placing the two tomes on my nightstand, I looked around my room. I had been fighting packing anything, hoping my father would change his mind. However, that was a complete loss now. The house was sold and I had to leave. I moved over to grab one of the many boxes my father had been placing in my room over the last few months. I unfolded the first one and began to wander around the room, dumping random things into the container. My eyelids were heavy and if felt as though my feet were boulders. I finally dropped the box on the floor and fell onto my bed. A blink turned in to sleep.

I dreamt about the day on the battlefield. I was racing for Zhao Yun. His beautiful face twisted in fear and agony. He yelled for me to run away but I charged on. The man that stood above him laughed manically. Just as my fingers brushed his hand, I shot up in my bed with a scream. I was panting and my skin covered in sweat from the intensity of the dream. My eyes shot to my window. The red in the sky told me that I had slept most of the day. A moment later, I heard rushing footsteps and my door swung open. Concern was again etched into my father's features. He stared at me for what seemed like an hour before shook my head.

"Sorry dad. I had a nightmare."

I saw his body relax. He straightened himself and leaned against my doorframe. His eyes, which had not moved off me for a moment, made a quick scan of the room. They fell back on me as he gave me a pathetic smile, "I know you don't like it, but we are moving. Would you like some help packing your room? We are in the townhouse so we will start taking things over there tomorrow." I looked over my room, I did have a lot to pack; his help would make it much faster. I turned back to him and gave him a nod. He gave me a large smile and opened up one of the boxes. As we put my entire life in to the cardboard cubes, we rarely spoke. He told me that he had tended to Bay earlier in the day and that he had found a ranch just outside of the city that would board him for me. I was grateful that I would not lose my friend as well as my home.

We paused the packing not long after we started, long enough to eat dinner. It was almost midnight when we decided to call it a night. I gave my father a hug goodnight and went to lie in my bed. I knew I probably would not sleep but I let my mind run away with whatever thought crossed it. It did not take long for it take hold of the image of Zhao Yun's face the moment before we had been pulled from the battlefield. I tossed and turned on the bed trying to force the picture from my mind. I tried to pull up another memory of him. The day in his garden, after we fell in the pond or his even his angry glare at Ning during their spats, anything but that horrible look of terror that plagued me.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	14. Moving On

**This chapter is a replacement of the old one. This is the direction that I had originally intended the story to take. For those who liked the old chapter, I did save it and may use it in another story. However this is how it was supposed to go.**

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

I must have fallen asleep at some point. It was a deep and dark sleep; I was thankful. My father and I ate breakfast together. By midmorning, a moving van was in our driveway along with two men my father had hired to help us move. We spent most of the day loading at the house. By evening, our family home was barren. I stood in the front door and stared at the walls for one last time. My father called to me, he was ready to leave. I took one more look around, saying good-bye to my home, my memories, to my brother and mother, to my childhood. With a heavy heart, I closed the door and got into the car. We had to drop Bay off at the ranch and then we would go to the town house. As we pulled out of the driveway, I felt the tears well up in my eyes but I forced them back. I turned to face out the windshield when my father patted my hand.

"They were not in that house anymore, Koa. We have to carry them in our hearts from now on." I knew he spoke of our lost family but I felt his words meant more, even more than he knew. Once we had dropped Bay at the ranch and got him into his stall, he was not happy with us leaving him, and made it into the city it was late. The moving truck had been parked in front of the new house. My father had given the movers a key and they had already unloaded about half of the truck on their own. My father pulled our car into the driveway and went to help them. He told me to take Rascal into my new room and let her explore. He asked if I could sort through the boxes and move the ones, I could lift, to their proper places. One am came and the truck was finally empty. The front room of the tiny house, however, was almost bursting with boxes and furniture. The movers left the mess to us to handle on our own. My father and I agreed that we would sleep on the couches and worry about the mess in the morning. I fed Rascal and flopped down on the smaller of the two couches. I fell asleep nearly instantly.

Again, I dreamed of the battle. This time I was racing toward Zhao Yun on foot. The man was bringing down his weapon. This time a flash of metal stopped the strike. Zhao Yun laid on the ground staring up at me as I held an ornate sword over him. The other man had been pushed a step back by my parry. His face contorted with anger. I moved to defend Zhao Yun from the man while he regained his feet. Soon the two of us stood side by side in battle. We exchanged glances and charged forward together.

A gentle nudge on my arm followed by a hushed apology woke me. I looked up to see my father standing over me with one of the boxes labeled 'kitchen'. With a groan, I sat up. The couch had done a number on my back. I followed my father into the kitchen of our much smaller home. He was unpacking the box he had carried in, searching for his coffee pot. Upon finding it, he realized that he had to find the coffee and filters that were packed away as well. I helped him as we pulled out everything in every kitchen labeled box. As it normally goes, the sought after items were in the very last box we had to open. We stood back and laughed at ourselves.

"Well, at least the kitchen is unpacked now. I'm going to make a pot and while it's brewing you and I can find place for all of this," My father offered. I gave him a nod in agreement. When we finished putting away the kitchen, we moved our table into the connected dining area and sat down. Today I joined my father in his morning coffee. Not one of my normal habits but I knew that I was headed for a day of work and needed the pick-me-up. We had to figure out how to fit twenty plus years of things in a house half the size of our former one. We both knew that there were things we would have to get rid of but we would keep from saying it until the time came.

Noon found the living room and laundry rooms unpacked and set up. I was in the upstairs bathroom that would be my own when my father came to offer me to go out for lunch. I realized that I had not eaten that morning. My stomach accepted his offer for me. As we made our way to the front door, the two books on top of some of the boxes in my room caught my attention. I stopped to grab them. My father eyed me.

"If you wouldn't mind I would like to go somewhere after lunch." I said. He did not ask about it, only nodded in agreement. We chose to walk instead of driving, one of the beauties of living in the city I suppose. We found a small restaurant with an outdoor area and decided to try it. As we enjoyed our lunch, we began to talk more than we had in the last six months or so. I let the feeling of happiness wash over me, my father and I seemed to be more like the family we once were.

We spent nearly two hours on our lunch. Afterwards he chose to return to the house and continue to unpack. I offered to put off my errand to join him but he insisted that I explored the city. We hugged in parting before turning and walking in opposite directions. After wandering aimlessly and getting hopelessly lost, I gave in and bought a map of the city at a little convenience store. Opening it, I scanned it for the street name where my destination was located. I wanted to slap myself when I noticed that I had walked past it at least three times. With the map, I found myself standing in front of the little shop in a matter of minutes. I stood staring at the front of the establishment for several minutes. I was unsure if I really wanted to go in and ask the question that circled in my mind. The image of Zhao Yun's face as I tried to reach him flashed in my mind's eye and I pushed the door open.

The air in the place was heavy with a potent scent that almost made me gag as my eyes danced over the trinkets and whatnots that adorned the walls. Slowly, I made my way toward the counter that ran along the back wall and stopped. I heard a man's voice call out that he would be there in just a moment. I took the time to look over the items once again. The sound of a bead curtain shifting brought my attention back to the counter. The man now stood on the other side of the divider with a kind smile on his wrinkled face. I shifted while I searched for the right words to say when his eyes flicked down to the books in my arms. His aged brow raised in curiosity when his gaze returned to my face.

"Is there something wrong with your books, miss?" His voice did not seem to fit his appearance, as if it was too young for his body.

I glanced down to the tomes I carried them back to him as I placed them on the counter between us. I opened the one with the changed tale of Shu to the paragraph and gently pushed it toward him. "I remember this being different," was all I said.

His brow still raised he reached over and turned the book around so that he could read the words himself. When he finished he glanced back up at me, closed the cover, and slid it back to me.

"It seems to be right to me. Why would you think I would know otherwise?" I could tell by his tone that he was trying to get more information from me. His eyes shifted to the other book and then to my face.

I took that as my queue to open the other one to the entry that had sent me on this path. I offered it for him to read as well. His eyes danced over the page and a coy smile came to his face. He repeated the same gesture that he had with the first book.

"Now why would you want to know about that?"

"Because it's my fault and I have to fix it." His eyes went wide at my confession. He then let out a slight chuckle as he shook his head.

"I knew something had happened. I just had not expected this. You must be the daughter of Nu Wa." My confusion must have been visible on my face because he motioned for me to wait a moment before he disappeared back behind the bead curtain. A minute later, he returned with a large, worn tome in his arms. I slid my books to the side so he could place his between us. "The spirits said that I should be expecting someone important today," he said as he flipped through the aged pages covered characters that I had never seen before. "But as I said. I was not expecting _you_."

He stopped on a page and turned the book around for me to read. I glanced at the page, expecting not to be abled understand any of it. Yet every symbol made complete sense to me. They told of the legend of a daughter of Nu Wa, a girl who fell into the arms of the Shu general Zhao Yun during a battle between his forces and the army of Wei. As I read the page, I realized that I was reading of the time I had spent in the past. I got to the battle of Chi Bi. I frowned when I read the section. It told of how I had not only saved Zhao Yun but also fought beside him and the others to help to overcome Cao Cao's forces. I paused there and looked back to the man. His eyes relayed that he understood.

"What can I do to fix this?" My hand went to the mysticism book as I spoke, "Will this help at all?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and was quiet for a long moment. He was pondering over the situation; maybe he wanted to know if I was serious in wanting to right my wrong. I opened my mouth to try to convince him that I was when his voice cut me off, "Yes, I know of the ritual that book mentions. However, there may be a heavy price to pay for performing it. Nu Wa is protective of her timeline. She put her faith in you and you have proved yourself incapable of completing her task once already. If you attempt to return, she may destroy your body and your soul. You may not get the chance to try to save him again at all."

My blood ran cold at his words. He reached over and gently took his tome from me. His eyes were soft, and his voice mimicked them, "You go, take some time to think about it. If you decide you wish to go through with this then come back and I will help you." I nodded and collected my books.

Once outside I let out a heavy sigh, could I really take that risk? What would happen if I could not return to my father once I went back? We were just starting to reconnect. He would lose all the family he had left. I took out my map and planned my route back home. My mind went over all of the information that I had gathered as I walked. My choices tore at each other. Should I go and try to save Zhao Yun and face a possible death at the hands of Nu Wa? On the other hand, should I just forget that any of it happened and go on with my life? I was so lost in my thoughts that I did not realize I was standing in front of the house until my father spoke to me.

I shook off his question and went into the house. I went up to my room to finish unpacking. When I walked through the door, I noticed that my father had put my bed together while I was away. I shouted my thanks down the hall and received a laugh in response. Audibly silent and mentally having a conversation with myself, I went about empting the boxes that had been piled in my room. It seemed as though everything I pulled out of a box would have me looking back on the day it was given to me. A porcelain horse my parents gave me on my sixth birthday. A book of fairy tales my mother used to read to me when I was young. A picture my brother had drawn of Bay when he was a colt. One of my grandmother's necklaces that she had left me in her will. I found myself sitting in the middle of the floor, crying from the memories. How could I leave this? How could I even consider leaving my father?

A hand on my shoulder drew my attention to my father as he knelt beside me. I quickly wiped away my tears trying to act as if they had never happened. He gave me a half smile and motioned me to follow him. He had made dinner and wanted me to eat with him. The meal was worlds away from the joyful lunch we had shared earlier. We ate in silence occasionally we would glance at each other. I could not help fidgeting in my chair. I was finding the situation very uncomfortable and began searching for a way to escape. Thankfully, he gave me an out, telling that he had put away the linen and left out some stuff for me to make my bed up. I thanked him and quickly finished my meal. He took my plate telling me that he would do the dishes. I moved to get the bedding and set about putting together my bed for the night.

I had no more than finished making up my bed and my father called to me. He told me that he was going to sleep. I wished him a goodnight and decided that I might as well call it a night myself. I changed into some sleeping clothes, shut off the light and crawled into my bed. For a while, I laid awake. My mind still finding reasons I should consider taking my chances in going back then immediately contradicting itself with a reason to stay. Sleep did not come easy to me this time. When I did fall in my dreams, I again saw myself saving Zhao Yun. The two of us as a team, tearing through the enemy ranks. His face had a smile of pride as we seemingly danced together on the field. We came close to one another and he placed his arm around my waist and leaned his face close to mine.

It was too sudden, my eyes shot open and I sat upright in my bed. The light pouring through the window signaled morning. I rubbed my face, why was I dreaming these things. I gave a groan as I stood and stretched out my body. I shook my head to rid myself of the lingering thoughts of my dream. Shuffling along I headed for the bathroom to wake myself up with a nice cold shower. Clean and wrapped in a towel I returned to the room to locate some clothes, most of which were still packed away. I dumped out one of the boxes and shifted through the mess before settling on jeans and a tank top. I dressed and jogged down to the kitchen with a smile on my face.

My father was sitting at the table, his cup of coffee, and a piece of paper on the table in front of him. His face had a troubled look to it that wiped my smile away in a glance. His eyes met mine and he spoke.

"We need to talk."

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	15. Choices

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

"Cancer?!" I screamed. Tears flowed down my face, "Are they sure?" He nodded and slid the paper in front of me. I snatched it up and read it; stage four, untreatable, less than a year stuck out to me. I erupted in tears again. He moved from his chair to hold me. He apologized to me, I was not sure why. He knelt down beside me and patted my back. I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. Now I was going to lose him too. I shifted and he moved away. We sat there staring at each other for several minutes in silence.

"What do you want to do," I tried to steady my voice but it still cracked while I spoke.

He sighed and stood, he gave me a smile "Spend what time I have left enjoying life."

I nodded, "Then we will."

Over the next few months, we did everything we could think of to do. Watch the sunset, try new foods that we had never known before, making every memory we could before his end came. Together we went through everything in the house and sold what we could, and donated most of what we could not. His belongings and those of the ones we lost before. As his health worsened, he found himself bedridden more and more. Eventually we had to hire a hospice nurse.

Sometimes I would slip away, going to the ranch to ride or going to over to Huan's shop. The old man became a confidant for me. I spoke openly to him, about the dreams that came to me every night, about my father's illness, and even about my own feelings. He would always listen attentively and offer me words of encouragement or comfort. One night after my father went to a hospice center, I told him of the plan I had formed. I would spend what little time I had left with my father. However, once he was gone I would have nothing left here for me. He agreed to help Bay and I return to the battle of Chi Bi. If Nu Wa judged me unfit to try to save Zhao Yun again, then I would join my family in death. He began to prepare for the ritual as I prepared to bury my father beside his wife and son.

The day finally came for me to face my father's passing. I had spent the night sitting by his bed. We knew time was close so I did not want to leave him. It was not quite dawn when he reached for me. I took his hand and he gave me a weak smile.

"It's time baby," he said. "You need to make me a promise, you will go to him." My surprise covered my face and he gave a wheezing laugh, "You talk in your sleep. Zhao Yun, you said his name was. Go to him, as you said you would. We will watch over you. I love you."

I repeated his final words and thanked him as I watched him struggle for his final breath. My sobs brought the nurses to the room. They let me stay for only a short time before they sent me away. I returned to our empty town house. I had spent the time that I was not by my father's side, getting rid of everything. I even gave Rascal to Huan. All that was left was a sleeping bag I slept on, some clothing for me, and some trinkets I used to remember my family. I spent the next few days curled up on my makeshift bed crying.

The funeral was small, not many to mourn the loss of such a great man. Huan and his son had joined me in my mourning beside his grave. I stood beside the three stones that were all that was left of my family for hours. They were gone. That was it. Now I made my choice. It was time for me to return to Zhao Yun. I reached down and brushed my fingers over each of the three names, saying my final goodbye. I then stood and made my way back to the house. I packed up what little I had kept and collected the papers I had gotten together, giving everything I had left here to Huan and his son. My money, the horse trailer, and the car, it was theirs, payment for helping me. I got into the car and tucked the paperwork into the glove box for them.

I arrived in front of the shop as the sun began its journey into the west. Huan and his son joined me in the car after placing several things in the hatch. We drove out to the ranch where I took Bay from his boarding and loaded him into his trailer. We drove out to a wooded area in the middle of nowhere and Huan went about setting up for the ritual. I started to feel nervous about the process but forced my resolve to steady. I had to do this. It was dark when Huan told me he was ready. I guided Bay to where Huan indicated we stood; I then mounted. Out of the corner of my right eye, I saw something white being offered to me. I reached out to take the object from Huan's son.

As he released his grip on the object, he spoke, "When the battle field appears before you, take a bite of that. It will reveal the world beyond. You will need to use it to your advantage." I gave him a nod and thanked him.

Huan began the ceremony. Incents burned as he chanted in a language I did not understand. Soon the world around me became hazy and seemed to dissipate in the air. The quiet chanting of Huan was replaced by the cries of war. The light of the fire was taken by waning sunlight. Soon the forest was gone and I was back in the middle of a warzone. Quickly I moved the object that had been given to me and bit in to it. It tasted horrible but I noticed its effects instantly. The world around me seemed to move in slow motion.

"What are you doing here?" A sharp voice came from my left. I turned to the source and recognized her immediately. She looked so different from before. Gone were her flowing robes, replaced by battle attire colored white and green with accents of gold and black. On her head, she wore a large crown-like headdress in her white hair, and held a sword and shield.

I tugged Bay's reins only to realize that he was moving as slow as those around us. I dismounted and walked over to the figure. My eyes where hard on her as I began recalling my well-rehearsed words I had thought about for the last months.

"I am here to save Zhao Yun; to correct my mistake." She seemed surprised at my words as I came to a stop in front of her.

"I should banish you to the realm of nothing for your actions," she hissed.

"Do what you want,_ after_ I save him"

Her elegant brows raised and a smirk found its way to her face. She held out her sword to me, the pink blade and grip adorned with great golden wings and glowing turquoise stones. She shifted the weapon where the hilt was offered to me. I took it and she stepped back, "You had better hurry little one."

I ran for Zhao Yun as fast as my legs would carry me. As I moved, the effect of the thing I had bitten began to wear off. The world was beginning to return to its normal pace. It was completely back to normal just as I slid the pink blade between Zhao Yun and his attacker. I forced his blade upward and twisted around my own to push him back. He stumbled back several steps before he regain his balance and looked up to me. I stood in front of Zhao Yun, ready to fight back if he advanced. His eyes shot to the blade in my hand, then down to the man behind me. His face contorted into a scowl.

"Koa!" Zhao Yun cried out his voice was hoarse and I could tell he was having trouble breathing.

I turned my head without taking my eyes off the other man to speak to him, "I know you are hurt but you have to get up. I am going to need your assistance." His armor creaked in protest of his movements but he managed to get to his feet and retrieve his spear as I stared down the attacker. I felt Zhao Yun take his stance beside me and I let a grin come to my face. This is what I had dreamed about, he and I standing on level ground. Sided by side we charged. After a short furious fight, the man chose to flee from us.

We turned and went to help the others. Soon every one of the enemies was either downed of fleeing at the heels of their superiors. A great cry came from our allies; we had beaten them. Soon we were joined by Sun Quan and Liu Bei on horses. Sun Quan ordered some of his men to follow the retreating army but Zhuge Liang called for him to halt. He already had planned for a group to follow them. He looked to Zhao Yun as he leaned on his spear to support himself. The strategist let out an unhappy sigh and moved to pursue the enemy himself. Zhao Yun moved to follow but my hand on his arm stopped him.

His head whipped around to me as Liu Bei spoke the same words I had intended to use. "You are in no shape to continue. Go back and see to your wounds." Zhao Yun stared at his lord, the look on his face screamed he was not happy with the order, but he was not about to disobeyed.

I helped him back to the camp while Sun Shang Xiang led Bay for me. I tried to convince Zhao Yun to mount the horse but his stubbornness held. Once we reached the medical tent I let him go to be tended to, I turned to see bright green eyes with a cheeky smile under them.

"That was amazing. One moment you are next to me on your horse and the next, you are fighting of Cao Pi with a blade that seemingly materialized out of thin air."

I laughed at her words and shrugged, "Well you know me. Everything I need seems to just show up."

The other woman and I had a good laugh for a moment. She then gave me a quick bow and wandered off to see how the others had faired. I remained by the tent. The sound of bells caught my attention again. Soon the source was casting his shadow over me. I craned my head up to look at him. He had a smirk on his face as he knelt down.

"So you came out unscathed I see. At least that fool is good enough to keep you from injury on the field of battle."

I shot him a look that told him that I was not amused with his comment. He seemed to shrink back slightly. I sighed and thought back to the last thing he had said to me. I finally had an answer for him.

"Hey Ning," I started, his actions put me to mind of a puppy hearing their name called, ears perked up and all, "About what you said the other night. Thank you, but no thank you. I rather like the idea of staying with Shu." He spit out a few very colorful curses as he stood to kick the dirt. In a flash is anger way gone as he stood with his back to me. He tilted his head so that I could see the side of his face.

"Just so you know if you change your mind I will still welcome you. I can't say about any others though." His bells sounded as he walked away.

Once he was out of hearing range, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up I found a pair of brown eyes staring at me. He had a very relaxed look on his face. I stood and turned to face him. I looked him over. He wore a simple white tunic with a few tiny tears in the front covering his chest and seemed, more or less, just fine. I raised my brow; he seemed worse off on the way here. He read me with expertise. From around his back he produced his mangled chest plate. My jaw dropped at the sight of the ripped and twisted metal in his hand. He laughed at my surprise.

"That was very similar to my reaction when I heard your words a minute ago. Thank you." I felt my face heat with the blush that came to it. He gave me a charming smile and extended a hand to me, I took it. He and I moved to an area where no one else was. He and I sat by the edge of the water and we looked out to the smoldering wreckage that was once the fearsome fleet of Cao Cao. A calm silence floated around us as we simply let ourselves relax for the moment.

I grew so comfortable in the quiet that I almost fell over when Zhao Yun spoke, "How would you feel if I did seek to marry you?"

I unconsciously recoiled from him and he started to take the action as my answer. I stopped him from standing and walking away by placing my hand on his. When our eyes met, I gave him a small smile, "I think I need to explain myself to you first. However, let us worry about that later. For right now let's just enjoy the moment of peace we have here." He gave me an understanding nod and settled back into place.

Darkness soon enclosed the camp. By firelight, Zhao Yun and I made our way back to the collection of tents. The Shu men that had gone after Cao Cao had returned empty-handed. Everyone was joyful, celebrating the victory. Loud voice told tales of each experience during the fighting; many exaggerated tales could be heard if one stopped long enough. Even some of the generals joined in the tale weaving. Yet with all the excited talk, there was an air of sadness over some of Sun Quan's men. Some of their losses seemed to take a heavy toll on the lord and the higher ranked warriors.

I parted from Zhao Yun to find a bed. My body was sore and my mind was exhausted from the day. Xing Cai showed me to where some of the women were going to sleep. Thanking her, I took the mat she had directed me to and dropped onto it. My head landed on the small pillow and I was asleep.

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	16. A Legend Begun

**I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.**

The warm air was soothing to my skin. I stood in the light of the ethereal plane, watching Nu Wa at a distance. She had returned to her angelic appearance of flowing robes and free hair. Her face held a visage of calm anger. I knew it was time for her to judge me. I took a deep breath, ready for whatever she had in store for me. Her features suddenly cracked. Gone was her stern look, in its place was a grateful smile.

"I see I had been too quick to view you as a failure." She spoke as she neared me. She came to a stop directly in front of me. Reaching up she took hold of my ivory braid. He eyes held a dim spark as she stared at the strand. "This piece of me, I gave to you to seal our deal. It seems to have taken your fear and replaced it with a great deal of determination and wit. Thank you, Koa." Her eyes flicked up to meet my own. I felt her look over my soul during her pause. "Are you truly ready to face the nothing if I chose to send you?" I let my answer shine in my eyes. She released my hair and stepped back from me a pace. He white hair swayed with the gentle shaking of her head. "No, you have proven yourself worthy of you actions. I will spare you such a fate. However, our original deal was that you would be returned to your own time when your task was complete. I see now that you do not wish that."

"It would be returning me to another nothing." My words caused her to nod. She knew what had transpired during my time home.

"Very well, you shall remain. Keep my celestial blade as your own, a reward for your bravery. " She raised her and to me, the light increased to a blinding level. I felt the cold of reality return to my body just as her final words reached my ears, "Tell your tale to your coming favor."

I opened my eyes to find myself exactly where I had fallen asleep. The light that passed through the cloth told me it was early morning. Outside I could hear horses being shuffled around it must time to pack up. I stood and stretched out my body. Then I knelt down and packed away the bedding I had used. Xing Cai had woken while I was doing so. She helped me figure out how to tie up everything correctly and where to put it when we finished. She and I then went about taking down our tent and packing it on to a cart that carried the supplies of Shu. She went off to find food while I chose to stay and help others prepare to leave. By noon, the town of canvas was turned into a trampled meadow.

I stood looking around; the feeling of pride for helping filled my body and brightened my face with a broad smile. Sun Quan's army took the boats and we waved to them as they pushed their way through the river, carefully passing the burnt remains of the Wei fleet. I spotted Tong and Ning by the rail on one of the larger vessels. I directed a wave toward them. They returned it, Ning with reluctance. A hand on my shoulder caused me to turn.

My eyes fell on a bowl of food. Zhao Yun told me that I needed to eat quickly; we were to depart soon. I walked toward a group of other hurriedly eating by the camp cook while he rushed them so that he could pack up the last of his dishes and be ready to move out. I only ate about half the food when another solider ran up and began to beg the large man for some food. He argued that he had been helping others pack and had not eaten yet. The cook informed him that there was nothing left. I offered the poor man the remaining food I had. He graciously accepted. It took me a minute to locate Bay; he was fully tacked and ready to go. The gilded golden wings of the hilt of the blade attached to his saddle, the blade incased in a makeshift sheathe. I gave him a rub and mounted.

As the last few stragglers fell into formation, we were ready for the order to begin. I took a position toward the back of the caravan beside the cook's wagon. Bay stomped the ground, impatience over having to wait. Quick hoof beats indicated the approach of another rider. Zhao Yun stopped his white steed in front of me.

"Come this way. Lord Liu Bei would like you to join us at the front." He informed me. I gave Bay a nudge to follow the man to the very start of the large train of carts, horses, and people. At the front Liu Bei tipped his head to me in greeting, I returned the gesture. Then the order went out and with a few yells and some creaking of wooden wheels the caravan shuddered to life. The journey back to Cheng Du was to take almost a week to make. We would travel for most of the day, starting early, stopping for a short lunch around midday, and making camp with the fading sun light. I rode every day at the front, behind the Lord and his brothers, next to Zhao Yun. We spent most of the travel merrily talking with one another. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu would compare their tales of past battle, they usually ending in one claiming the other were lying, and the rest of us laughing as the men began to bicker. Zhao Yun would sometimes share one of his own tales, the others adding in heroic details he left out. I would listen intently to each.

The walls of the city came in to view showing us our journey was at an end. The townspeople cheered us as we entered the gates. The men of the caravan broke formation and sought out their families and the reunions were tearful. The worried wives and children overjoyed that their loved ones had returned to them. My heart sank when I noticed some of the hopeful families breaking down when they realized that their husbands, fathers, brothers, or sons had not returned. My eyes watered and my heart ached for them.

Liu Bei's voice startled me, "I dream that one day no one will have to face the trials they now must." I turned to face the lord, his eyes were sad as he looked on the same scene.

My hand found the hilt of my sword and I stared at it. I felt something deep within myself ignite when I spoke to him. "If you would allow it, I will stand beside you. I will use this blade to work for that day."

He smiled at me, my offer accepted. He then turned his horse and moved off to see about his duties. I turned to help unload the carts but a white horse and its rider cut me off. Zhao Yun beckoned me to follow him. We made our way back to his home. One of the servants took our horses to see to them as we went to the house. Mei's face read of a mix of surprise and joy when she saw me with Zhao Yun. He sent her off to retrieve us some tea before he took a seat in the large room in the middle of the house. He stared at me, silent, for a moment then indicated for me to sit facing him. I lowered myself in to place and waited for him to speak.

"I believe it is time for you to explain yourself to me."

I exhaled and began. I told him everything from the death or my mother and brother to the moment I stood over him with holding the celestial blade. I left out nothing. I told him of my time, explaining some things when a look of confusion crossed his face, and how I came to be in his. I even explained my escape after the night of the party. I told him of my deal with Nu Wa, my failure and my actions to redeem myself. His eyes softened when I spoke of my father, but he never once uttered a sound. It was late into the night when I finished my tale. Mei had lit a lantern for us at some point while she had tended to us. I sat quiet, my eyes searching his face for some sort of sign of what he was thinking.

After what had felt like an eternity his soft voice found my ears, "I see. You have gone through a great many trials in such a short time. I owe you my gratitude for all you have done. And still you have chosen to stay by my side." His eyes moved to mine a smile found his mouth, "Does this mean you will accept my intentions to make you my bride?"

I could not help the giggle at his words. With a forced sigh and returned his smile, "Yes"

His smiled widened and he slapped his leg in a slight celebration, "Well that is wonderful news. In the morning, I will speak to our lord on the matter. As for tonight, it is time for us to rest. Mei will see to you. Sleep well." He stood and gave me a bow before walking from the room. I went to find Mei; she had already prepared my room for me and found me something to sleep in. I felt at peace as I drifted into sleep.

By the time I awoke the next morning, Zhao Yun had already left. Mei excitedly talked with me. She told me of what had happened with her during my absence at the house. She had been engaged to a man and told me of him. He was a fledgling mystic from a family of farmers. She insisted I meet with him and I agreed. We settled on going to his home the following day. Zhao Yun returned to the house in the early afternoon. He informed me that he had come to collect me. Liu Bei wished to speak with me. I hurriedly readied myself to hold an audience with the lord. Lui Bei welcomed me into his ranks as not only the future wife of one of his generals but as a general myself. Zhao Yun balked at news but held his tongue.

That night there was another party, celebration of our victory at Chi Bi and of my joining the Shu army. It lasted well into the night and was thankfully, not as eventful as the one before had been. With high spirits, Zhao Yun and I bid goodnight to others as we left. As we made our way back to the house he told me that he would find someone to teach me the proper technique of my sword and I would have to train with him or her before he would be comfortable with me joining in another battle. I giggled at his words but agreed with him. We parted for the night with an embrace.

Mei excitedly skipped down the dirt path as we made our way to the home of her intended. It was quite a trek. We had left early that morning, after seeing Zhao Yun off, and still had not reached our destination as the sun reached the middle of the sky. She suddenly turned from the well-worn road onto a footpath that led into a forest. At the end of the path stood a small hut, Mei gave me a smile as she ran up and rapped on the door while I paused a bit behind. A moment later, it swung open and a young man stepped out. The two greeted one another, his eyes moved over to me as Mei introduced me, waving me over. The man invited us in and shuffled around large stacks of scrolls to make room for the two of us to sit. He took a place behind a low table and shoved away whatever he had been working on. My eyes danced over the piles of documents, my question in my eyes when I turned to face him.

"They are great in number, I know." He said, "I am collecting every bit of knowledge on the mystic way that I can find. By the way my name is Tháng Enlai."

A broad smile came to my face at his words, "I think you should gather something to write with." His brow raised but he gathered his things without question. Once he was ready, he looked to me, ready to take down my words.

"I have a tale for you."

**PS- Please R&R the reviews would help me greatly in writing, I would like to know what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks**

**-Alwayshappytohelp**


	17. A note from the author

I feel the need to explain a few things. First would be the changing the last two chapters. The two that had spent a year as the continuation of the story were chapters that I felt the need to post due to the demands for an update. They were something that I was not proud of and moved the story in a direction that I did not want to take it. The second was my updating in general. I have frequent writer's block and often my mind wanders so I tend to lose interest in things often. I usually circle back around but it often takes a bit of time. Then the replaced chapters had turned Koa into something that I began to hate, and as my dear friend told me once. If you lose the love of your main character, you lose your love for the story. However, this story became a plague on my life. I came to the point that when I wanted to play the Dynasty Warriors games that I enjoy very much I found myself unable to enjoy them due to my thoughts going to this story. With that said. I am sorry that it took me so long but I am so glad that it is FINALLY finished. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought. I do find them a prompt to continue my writing. Please check out my other story that I have finished and check my profile for updates on future stories. If you have an idea of a story you would like to see me write drop me a line and I will consider it. I also have a DA account that I may start posting on as well as here. If any artist out there like any of my stories well enough they wish to draw them up I would love to see your work. Thank you and remember I am Alwayshappytohelp too.


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